Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Summer performance, comfort, and heat stress in structural timber buildings under moderate weather conditions

Summer performance, comfort, and heat stress in structural timber buildings under moderate... The purpose of this paper is to examine the Summer performance, comfort, and heat stress in structural timber buildings. The research utilises building simulation as a tool to investigate the performance of the case study buildings under non-extreme weather conditions.Design/methodology/approachThe research explores three UK sites using the test reference year (TRY) weather files for the current and future weather conditions. The study focuses on the Summer performance and heat stress in non-extreme weather conditions; therefore, the Design Summer Year (DSY) weather files are not used for the simulations. The simulation data are calibrated and validated using the measured data from the field study.FindingsThe results revealed the mean predicted temperatures varied from 20.2–20.8°C for the 2000s. The mean temperatures for the 2030s ranged from 23.1 to 24.2°C. Higher temperatures are predicted at the buildings in the Southeast site than the Midlands and the Northwest sites. The results revealed that there is no significant improvement in the thermal environment when the floor area and the floor-to-ceiling height are increased. However, the study showed that the integration of different design interventions can improve the future performance and resilience of the buildings in various weather conditions.Research limitations/implicationsBy applying the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) and the Universal Thermal Comfort Index (UTCI) mathematical models to calculate the heat stress at the buildings, the study proposes the WBGT of 20.0°C and the UTCI of 24.1°C as possible heat stress indicators for occupants of the buildings in the 2030s.Practical implicationsOn the one hand, the results revealed the maximum temperatures in some of the case study buildings exceed the comfort threshold (28°C). On the other hand, the study showed that occupants of the buildings are not prone to extreme Summertime overheating and heat stress under moderate weather conditions. However, different outcomes may be predicted if DSY weather files for the selected sites are considered.Originality/valueThis study is the first reported work to explore building simulation and mathematical equations to investigate Summer performance, comfort and heat stress indexes in timber buildings under moderate weather conditions in different regional sites in the UK. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Smart and Sustainable Built Environment Market Emerald Publishing

Summer performance, comfort, and heat stress in structural timber buildings under moderate weather conditions

Download PDF
23 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/emerald-publishing/summer-performance-comfort-and-heat-stress-in-structural-timber-fXJIUSoYEn
Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
© Emerald Publishing Limited
ISSN
2046-6099
DOI
10.1108/sasbe-11-2018-0059
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the Summer performance, comfort, and heat stress in structural timber buildings. The research utilises building simulation as a tool to investigate the performance of the case study buildings under non-extreme weather conditions.Design/methodology/approachThe research explores three UK sites using the test reference year (TRY) weather files for the current and future weather conditions. The study focuses on the Summer performance and heat stress in non-extreme weather conditions; therefore, the Design Summer Year (DSY) weather files are not used for the simulations. The simulation data are calibrated and validated using the measured data from the field study.FindingsThe results revealed the mean predicted temperatures varied from 20.2–20.8°C for the 2000s. The mean temperatures for the 2030s ranged from 23.1 to 24.2°C. Higher temperatures are predicted at the buildings in the Southeast site than the Midlands and the Northwest sites. The results revealed that there is no significant improvement in the thermal environment when the floor area and the floor-to-ceiling height are increased. However, the study showed that the integration of different design interventions can improve the future performance and resilience of the buildings in various weather conditions.Research limitations/implicationsBy applying the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) and the Universal Thermal Comfort Index (UTCI) mathematical models to calculate the heat stress at the buildings, the study proposes the WBGT of 20.0°C and the UTCI of 24.1°C as possible heat stress indicators for occupants of the buildings in the 2030s.Practical implicationsOn the one hand, the results revealed the maximum temperatures in some of the case study buildings exceed the comfort threshold (28°C). On the other hand, the study showed that occupants of the buildings are not prone to extreme Summertime overheating and heat stress under moderate weather conditions. However, different outcomes may be predicted if DSY weather files for the selected sites are considered.Originality/valueThis study is the first reported work to explore building simulation and mathematical equations to investigate Summer performance, comfort and heat stress indexes in timber buildings under moderate weather conditions in different regional sites in the UK.

Journal

Smart and Sustainable Built Environment Market – Emerald Publishing

Published: May 24, 2019

Keywords: Comfort and heat stress; Moderate weather conditions; Structural timber buildings; Summer performance; Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI); Wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT)

References

  • Post-occupancy and indoor monitoring surveys to investigate the potential of Summertime overheating in UK prefabricated timber houses
    Adekunle, T.; Nikolopoulou, M.
  • Thermal performance of low-carbon prefabricated timber housing in the UK
    Adekunle, T.O.
  • Predicting current and future performance of sustainable lightweight buildings
    Adekunle, T.O.
  • Thermal comfort and heat stress in cross-laminated timber (CLT) school buildings during occupied and unoccupied periods in Summer
    Adekunle, T.O.
  • Summertime overheating and heat stress in multi-family Colonial Revival style timber frame buildings
    Adekunle, T.O.
  • Thermal comfort, summertime temperatures and overheating in prefabricated timber housing
    Adekunle, T.O.; Nikolopoulou, M.
  • Thermal performance of indoor spaces of prefabricated timber houses during Summertime
    Adekunle, T.O.; Nikolopoulou, M.
  • Winter performance, occupants’ comfort and cold stress in prefabricated timber buildings
    Adekunle, T.O.; Nikolopoulou, M.
  • Experimental investigation and computer simulation of thermal behaviour of wallboards containing a phase change material
    Ahmad, M.; Bontemps, A.; Sallee, H.; Quenard, D.
  • Energy performance indicators in the Swedish building procurement process
    Allard, I.; Olofsson, T.; Nair, G.
  • An introduction to the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI)
    Blazejczky, K.; Jendritzky, G.; Brode, P.; Fiala, D.; Havenith, G.; Epstein, Y.; Psikuta, A.; Kampmann, B.
  • The Universal Thermal Climate Index UTCI in operational use
    Brode, P.; Jendritzky, G.; Fiala, D.; Havenith, G.
  • Indoor environment and energy consumption optimization using field measurements and building energy simulation
    Christensen, J.E.; Chasapis, K.; Gazovic, L.; Kolarik, J.
  • Analysis tools
  • Environmental impact of thermal insulation thickness in buildings
    Comakli, K.; Yuksel, B.
  • DesignBuilder simulation
  • Field study of thermal comfort in residential buildings in the equatorial hot-humid climate of Malaysia
    Djamila, H.; Chu, C.M.; Kumaresan, S.
  • Thermal comfort and the heat stress indices
    Epstein, Y.; Moran, D.S.
  • Thermal comfort in the climatic conditions of Southern Italy
    Fato, I.; Martellotta, F.; Chiancarella, C.
  • The commission for thermal physiology of the international union of physiological sciences (IUPS Thermal Commission)
  • Field study on occupants’ thermal comfort and residential thermal environment in a hot-humid climate of China
    Han, J.; Zhang, G.; Zhang, Q.; Zhang, J.; Liu, J.; Tian, L.; Zheng, C.; Hao, J.; Lin, J.; Liu, Y.; Moschandreas, D.J.
  • A review of current and future weather data for building simulation
    Herrera, H.; Natarajan, S.; Coley, D.A.; Kershaw, T.; Ramallo-Gonza´lez, A.P.; Eames, M.; Fosas, D.; Wood, M.
  • Thermal comfort of railway station’s waiting room in severe cold regions of China
    Huang, M.; Lin, Y.
  • World: [Energy] balances for 2012
  • Transforming existing weather data for worldwide locations to enable energy and building performance simulation under future climates
    Jentsch, M.F.; James, P.A.B.; Bourikas, L.; Bahaj, A.S.
  • Removing unwanted heat in lightweight buildings using phase change materials in building components: simulation modelling for PCM plasterboard
    Kendrick, C.; Walliman, N.
  • Development of a thermally activated ceiling panel with PCM for application in lightweight and retrofitted buildings
    Koschenz, M.; Lehmann, B.
  • A study of the daylighting performance and energy use in heavily obstructed residential buildings via computer simulation techniques
    Li, D.H.W.; Wong, S.L.; Tsang, C.L.; Cheung, G.H.W.
  • Thermal performance improvement of lightweight buildings integrated with phase change material: an experimental and simulation study
    Long, X.; Zhang, W.; Li, Y.; Zheng, L.
  • Maximum window-to-wall ratio of a thermally autonomous building as a function of envelope U-value and ambient temperature amplitude
    Ma, P.; Wang, L.-S.; Guo, N.
  • A review on simulation-based optimization methods applied to building performance analysis
    Nguyen, A.-T.; Reiter, S.; Rigo, P.
  • Investigation of thermal comfort and airflow in a naturally ventilated lightweight house in a bush fire prone area
    Papadopoulos, Y.; Soebarto, V.
  • Heat stress standard ISO 7243 and its global application
    Parsons, K.
  • Using results from field surveys to predict the effect of open windows on thermal comfort and energy use in buildings
    Rijal, H.; Tuohy, P.; Humphreys, H.; Nicol, J.F.; Samuel, A.; Clarke, J.
  • Adaptive thermal comfort in Japanese houses during the Summer season: behavioural adaptation and the effect of humidity
    Rijal, H.B.; Humphreys, M.; Nicol, J.F.
  • Thermal comfort and occupant satisfaction in residential buildings – results of field study in residential buildings in Athens during the Summer period
    Sakka, A.; Wagner, A.; Santamouris, M.
  • Wet-bulb temperature from relative humidity and air temperature
    Stull, R.
  • Environmental performance optimization of window–wall ratio for different window type in hot Summer and cold Winter zone in China based on life cycle assessment
    Su, X.; Zhang, X.
  • Energy performance and thermal comfort of courtyard/atrium dwellings in the Netherlands in the light of climate change
    Taleghani, M.; Tenpierik, M.; van den Dobbelsteen, A.
  • The Universal Thermal Climate Index
  • Occupant behavior modelling for building performance simulation: current state and future challenges
    Yan, D.; O’Brien, W.; Hong, T.; Feng, X.; Gunay, H.B.; Tahmasebi, F.; Mahdavi, A.
  • Building performance analysis based on modelling and simulation
    Yin, H.; Cong, Z.; Ahmed, A.; Tumwesigye, E.; Menzel, K.
  • Thermal simulations on the effects of vegetated walls on indoor building environments
    Yoshimi, J.; Altan, H.