2016年9月29日星期四

Group Proposal

We will develop a framework for a new tool through the analysis of the Green Star, which is Australia's trusted mark of quality for the design, construction and operation of sustainable buildings, fitouts and communities. Why we choose green star is first, the system lowers the operating costs. Green buildings are built for high energy and water efficiency, so they are cheaper to operate. Also green buildings consistently outperform non-green buildings in terms of comfort and productivity.  Natural light, fresh air and access to views of the outdoors, as well as control over individual workspace temperature and lighting, can directly affect productivity.  Green star provides a healthier place to live and work as well. According to the OECd’s Environmentally Sustainable buildings report (2003), illness from indoor air pollution has become one of our most acute building challenges – with building materials, ranging from paints to carpets – leading to occupational health issues. Last, building green demonstrate the corporate social responsibility. (Choosing Green Star is a way to save money, create a healthy place for people, minimise your environmental footprint and build a better future for us all.) Launched by the Green Building Council of Australia in 2003, Green Star is Australia's only national and voluntary rating system for buildings and communities.

Our built environment is currently the world's single largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and also consumes around a third of our water, and generates 40 per cent of our waste.

By referring to the Green Star – Retail Centre v1 rating tool, it has many credits in common with the other Green Star tools available, but has also been made unique to the retail centre sector.

In the further steps, we will identify the key ‘sector specific’ credits that differentiate the Green Star – Retail Centre v1 rating tool from other Green Star tools in:
• Waste and Recycling Management Plan;
• Building Management System;
• Car Park Ventilation; and
• Trip reduction – Mixed Use;
• Materials
• Emissions
More specific aspects will be interpreted in those sections.

We intend to develop an improved system that focus on the area of local retails by referring to the current green star rating system, that will have slightly different sectors than Green Star Rating system and will more appropriately consider the specific considerations in local retails. A case study of Westfield Sydney will be analysed.

2016年9月28日星期三

Individual Assignment-Initial proposal

Part 1: Introduction
Background Information
The Tyree building is a multi-functional building used in educational purpose, specifically,Common (26% ), Teaching (11% ), Labs (19%) , Offices (17%). It consists a relocation of 250 UNSW personnel with the transfer of 17 teaching and research laboratories. The total construction cost is about $123.5 million and it has been supported by $75m in funding under the federal governments Education Investment Fund. The entire construction has been completed 11 January 2012 with a 6 Green Star design certification (fourth 6 Star education facility in Australia and a first for UNSW).

Part 2: Building Conditions
Existing Condition
Five levels totalling approximately 15,000 m2.
Create a new home for the Australian Energy Research Institute incorporating teaching.
Laboratories to support the ongoing research of UNSW researchers in world record-breaking solar photovoltaic technologies, sustainable clean fuels, smart grids, energy storage, energy economics and policy analysis.
Educational hub for undergraduate and postgraduate students, providing an optimal learning environment for the expert engineers and analysts who will shape our energy future.
Accommodate and showcase cutting edge research in clean energy including photo-voltaics, carbon capture and storage.
The roof of the building incorporates photovoltaic cells for the testing of research and development work as well as contributing to the energy input requirements of the facility.
Central atrium space uses access stairs and pedestrian bridges to connect the floor levels. This increases the visual and physical interconnection and enhances the collaborative nature of the design.

Part 3: Sustainable Technology 
Tri-generation system
Generates electricity and useful heat from the combustion of natural gas.
Waste heat used to produce hot water for heating, or chilled water for cooling via absorption chiller.
Electricity is then exported to the university‟s HV network.
Chilled water is exported to the campus Central Energy Plant which provides 5 buildings with chilled water.
Photovoltaic System
1,100 m2 roof-mounted photovoltaic array with arrays at different tilt angles.
Total capacity of 150 kWp.
Electricity produced exported to the university‟s high voltage network.
Thermal Labyrinths
One northern and one southern labyrinth.
Underground passive heating and cooling systems are in fact long concrete tunnels.
Dimensions are approximately 90 m long, 1.2 m wide and 3 m height.
Bore water cooling/heating
Large underground storage tanks used to supply water to pressure pumps with variable speed drives.
Non-potable water used in toilets, irrigation, cooling towers.
Rain water collected from roof and stored on site in a rainwater tank; treated before being used.
Fed back into the aquifer using a percolation chamber when the system collects too much compared to the building‟s needs.
Treated Bore Water
Treated bore water used to supply the building including water to all toilet cisterns, plant rooms and the labs.
Treated water is also supplied to the Trigen cooler.
The cooler drains the water out each evening and goes into the storm water and back to the underground tanks and is used in the bore water system.
If the temperatures do not require water on the pads, the sump in the cooler remains unfilled and dry.
There is potable water supplied to the hand basin through a TMV and cold water to the safety shower /eye wash.
Treated bore water tanks are backed up from the potable water should the water level in the tanks drop to that level.
Lighting Controls
The lighting control system of is composed of:
One photo electric sensor for on off lighting control (only for external lighting)
Photo electric sensors for dimming control
Motion sensors (After Hrs)
Light switches
BMS time schedule
Sensors measures light levels dims accordingly if adequate natural light is available.
Night Purge
The configuration of the sloping spoon roof has vertical windows along the length of the building.
These windows can be opened through the BMS to allow the building core to be purged overnight when the outside air conditions and internal building temperatures are suitable.
This is similar to the operation of the economy cycle on an air handling unit.
Double Glazing
Windows are double glazed and there is also the white wall windows on the eastern side of TETB to reduce thermal heat transfer through the windows into the building.
Metering
Over 150 meters.
Gas consumption for Domestic Hot Water (DHW), tri-generation system, café and whole building.
Potable water consumption for the whole building, secondary supply to non-potable water tank, for DHW and café.
Non-potable water consumption for the whole building, cooling tower, reverse osmosis (purified water in laboratories) and toilets.
Electricity consumption measured for the two Main Switch Board (MSB) for the whole building, major equipment and each area.
Lighting consumption measured for each area.
Thermal energy for absorption chiller (cooling produced), tri-generation (heating recovered), Central Energy Plant (cooling produced) and boilers (heating produced).
The Importance of Effective Collaboration
Proven Best Practice & Innovation to Deliver
The energy infrastructure in the building is important for its success
The provision of comprehensive, up-to-date information through electrical meters and the ground floor foyer display system „Showcase‟ the 6 star Green Star rating.
Specialist services incorporated to meet current requirements, while providing flexibility to meet future changes in technology as well as different teaching and research requirements.
Part 4:Other Case Studies
Part 5: Conclusion

Week-9 Post-Session Reflection

Five year energy time bomb threatens the UK

The article of Five Year Energy Time Bomb Threaten the UK explains the importance of finding out sustainable resources as most Europe countries are running out their non-renewable resources. Based on the relative data in this article, it shows coal, oil and gas will be used up in next following years; therefore, Europe has to be dependent on more importing resources in the near future.

It is important to get enough support to develop more existing and new renewable resources in Europe. Other solutions are needed to be settled to overcome the problem of energy shortages, for instance, how to storage the energy efficiently.

It is worth mentioning that other countries also have problems of renewable energy resources, hence, further development and research in both developed and developing countries are essential.


Global Health: Deadly dinners

According to the article Global Health, it explains population problem is still a severe issue due to the fact that more than 30% people are dependent on solid biomass fuels that mainly are used for cooking, including wood, animal dung and agricultural waste or charcoal in some rural areas as well as urban areas. Although individuals are encouraged to decrease the usage of biomass fuels, as a matter of fact, the population caused by biomass fuels still exert increasingly negative impacts on the environment and peoples health. For example, it is estimated that more than 4.5 million people suffer from household air pollution while 4 million females are confronted with premature deaths.

Even though biomass fuels produce side effects on the environment and peoples health, they are considered as renewable resources to some extent. However, the benefits of such renewable resources are exaggerated and doubted. The article also mentions other alternatively sustainable resources are encouraged to be used to reduce household pollution, such as solar, electricity and gas.

It is necessary to explore more friendly environmental energies or resources to replace biomass fuels. Otherwise, it is certain that biomass fuels would cause catastrophic influences.

Week-7 Pre-Session A Zero Energy, Water, Waste Future

https://youtu.be/nZCRGDyTVY4

Mike Dieterich is a LEED Accredited Professional, environmental scientist, award winning producer, and bestselling author. He has worked in the sustainability industry and explored the environment all over the world over the past decade. Mike mentioned the way how to design and develop a certain building or area in terms of minimising the usage of energy and how that way is important in the built environemnt.

2016年9月27日星期二

Week-9 Pre-Session Reflection: Health Indicators of Sustainable Energy

Air pollution takes significant negative effect on human health and numbers of people die due to the poor air quality. Therefore, both indoor(from householders) and outdoor(from industry, transports and environment) air quality should be improved. In terms of ourdoor pollution, the inefficient combustion of fossil fuel is the main factor on air quality.

Take China as an example, the air quality in Beijing is seriously threat to residents live. Most people will wear the facial mask when walking outside and there are increasing number people die in lung cancer. Also, people in Beijing suffer from cought and fever or ever worse. Those effect has drawn government and relevant departments attention to improve the air quality not only in Beijing city but also all the country. In addition, it is not enough for just improving the ourdoor air quality, another key element is the peoples lifestyle, as people can participant the outdoor activities or sports rather than sitting around and smoking on the coach.

The solution mentioned in the article will be developing new low-emission technology and renewable energy with authority support to benefit the human health and sustainability of the community. Considering the way of implementing the solution, the monitoring, data reporting, regulation will be the basic elements. However, it still a long term development.

Week-7 Post-Session How much of China's emissions is the rest of the world responsible for?

This article is about China has overtaken US became the largest Greenhouse gas emitter and should take some of the responsibilities. Also, the amount of emission by Chine is from manufacturing goods, which will be exported to all over the world.

However, personally, i believe that all those pollution and GHG emissions shouldnot only be blamed to China as only a small number of those goods and products sell within China whereas other large amount of those products export to other countries. The industry of Manufactory is required all over the world, some western manufactory move their industries to China as the cheap labor and land use, therefore, the pollution caused by the industries is released in China, that is main part of reason why China become the largest Greenhouse gas emitter.

As the clear fact mentioned, I believe that the key thing we need to consider is not if China should take responsibility for the emission pollution. What nacessary is how to reduce the emission.

Week-5 Post-Session Reflection: "Beyond Carbon Neutrality: Strategies for Reductive and Restorative Sustainability"

This article is about the notion of reductive and restorative sustainability. As the quotation goes, reductive sustainability means ‘initiatives that incorporate past waste into new products or use resources more efficiently’ while restorative sustainability refers to ‘initiatives that have a net positive impact.’

The guide promoted “Three Rs”, which include “reduce, reuse and recycle” as well as the concept of “Five Rs: Reuse, Recycle, Repair and Restore.” The term of reductive sustainability may not enough to be ‘sustainable’. Considering about the carbon emission and carbon foot print of buildings, the article suggests to improve the restorative sustainability, which contains another two ‘Rs’ (repair and restore) to solve the relevant effects on the built environment.

Personally, i think the way of using materials in the design project through all industry should be well considered to reduce the embodied energy.

Week-5 Energy Modeling: Early and Often

Energy modelling is helpful for assisting relevant elements to achieve the sustainable purpose, as even through there are some policies and energy code have set up for improving the sustainable performance, the some of the elements are still hard to be predicted. In this article, Tristan Roberts firstly explains the importance and advantage of energy modeling in the early stage of the design process. Then, setting a goal of sustainability rate of the building by various ratings tools, can minimize the energy consumption also maximise the result of ‘comfort’. An example of ‘Neptune project’ shows that envelope and glazing can be the basic concern of energy saving. In my point of view, energy modelling focuse on reducing the energy load and consider the integrative process. Those aspects of massing and orientation, envelope and gazing and lighting can be affected by energy modeling in the design process. But it would cost more than save in energy consumption.

2016年9月22日星期四

Week-4 Post-Session Proposals

Assignment 1 Group Proposal
SUSD0003 Energy and Build EnvironmentProposed by:Group B
Project Title:Sustainability Rating Assessment Tool Framework for Mixed-use Retail Buildings
Project outline:
Our Intention is to develop a framework for a new tool through the analysis of the current Green Star rating tool. As Green Star is Australia's trusted mark of quality for the design, construction and operation of sustainable buildings, fitouts and communities.
Background- Green Star:We choose Green Star rating tool as a guided tool to our assessment framework as Green Star is Australia's only national and voluntary rating system for buildings and communities, launched by the Green Building Council of Australia in 2003 promoting by investing Green Star building are low system and operating costs buildings, Green Star provides a healthier place to live and work, according to the OECd’s Environmentally Sustainable buildings report (2003), illness from indoor air pollution has become one of our most acute building challenges – with building materials, ranging from paints to carpets – leading to occupational health issues, building green also demonstrate the corporate social responsibility.
Approach:By referring to the Green Star – Retail Centre v1 rating tool which has many credits in common with the other Green Star tools available.Step 1:we will identify the key ‘sector specific’ credits that differentiate the Green Star – Retail Centre v1 rating tool from other rating tools like LEED, Green Building Challenge in the below catalogues.• Waste and Recycling Management Plan;• Building Management System;• Car Park Ventilation; and• Trip reduction – Mixed Use;• Materials• EmissionsMore specific aspects will be interpreted in those sections.Step 2:Exam each different weighted aspects and come to a conclusion of what a balanced rating tool for local retail building should be.Step 3:Develop an improved system that focus on the area of local retails based on Step 1 and Step 2.Objectives:the new frameworks will have slightly different and improved sectors than Green Star Rating system and will more appropriately consider the specific considerations in Local Retails Building type.Supporting Materials:A case study of Westfield Sydney will be analysed.(Above is the initial proposal as a group for Assignment 1, might subject to minor changes as we do more research and study. )