“be0898 2014/15 o'neill
DESCRIPTION
ÂTRANSCRIPT
Module Tutor – Alan Davies
Building design and performance critique
Word count : 3089
W11010180
February 10
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School of built environment
BE0890 –
Advanced
Measurement
and
Technology
Page 1
Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 2
Ellison Building .................................................................................................................................... 2
Drivers to spend and change .............................................................................................................. 2
Potential renovations to Ellison Building ................................................................................................ 3
Mechanical cooling ............................................................................................................................. 3
Variable air volume ......................................................................................................................... 3
Fan Coil systems .............................................................................................................................. 4
Why use mechanical cooling in Ellison?.......................................................................................... 5
Ventilation ........................................................................................................................................... 6
Termodeck ...................................................................................................................................... 6
Current heating, can improvements be made? .................................................................................. 8
District heating ................................................................................................................................ 8
Wood Chip Boilers ........................................................................................................................... 8
Combined heat and power (CHP) ................................................................................................. 10
Renewable technology available ...................................................................................................... 10
Photovoltaics ................................................................................................................................. 10
Wind Turbines ............................................................................................................................... 11
Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 12
Works Cited ........................................................................................................................................... 13
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Introduction
The aim of this report is to critically analysis the Ellison building on the University of Northumbria’s
campus, examining its design and proposing possible improvements to the buildings usability and
environmental performance. The report will consider modern methods of construction to enable a
more sustainable building whilst bringing a more comfortable environment for students of the
university. The report will compare reasons to refurbish or replace the entire building, determining
which option brings a more practical solution to the university however still brings the more energy
efficient and more comfortable.
Ellison Building
Figure 1, birds-eye view of the Ellison Building and each block (Google, 2015)
Ellison building is a Northumbria University campus building dedicated to teaching the faculty of
health sciences and also the faculty of built and natural environment. It holds numerous amounts of
state of the art laboratories for students and also many lecture theatres and classrooms. Ellison
building consists of 5 blocks, A-E (see figure 1), which are all connected through another. The
building is one of the oldest on campus and has had continuous work developed to it since the
opening of A block.
Drivers to spend and change
Northumbria University has 32,000 students and continuing to grow and expand, it is not only
growing in numbers but also climbing national university tables. In order to recruit top students the
university will need to offer a top service, including more modern buildings with cutting edge
sustainable technologies present. (Northumbria University, 2015) Many buildings will receive awards
for how sustainable their building (e.g. BREEAM) is and will often receive positive press across the
country for this, increasing the reputation of the university, raising awareness for the institution.
According to (Lynes, 2007) there are many motivations to build green on campus including : overall
savings across a long period, better indoor work environments which will then lead to increased
A BLOCK
B BLOCK
D BLOCK
E BLOCK
C BLOCK
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worker productivity and a more comfortable area for students to study in, this will also improve
attendance of students and could possibly help recruit higher standards of faculty members.
Potential renovations to Ellison Building
Mechanical cooling
More computer technology are being used in buildings, especially in universities and schools so it is
no surprise there is a growing demand for cooling (Pennycook, 2010). The building lacks air
conditioning and needs a sustainable and efficient source. Currently the A block’s chemistry labs are
air conditioned by specialised mechanical cooling. It is possible the whole building can benefit by
mechanical cooling and this report will explore some of the current methods available.
Variable air volume
Also known as ‘VAV’ cooling, this is an all air cooling system which fulfils the separate temperature
requirements of separate zones of buildings (Pennycook 2010). This would be suitable for Ellison
building as its 5 blocks requires different levels of cooling at all times, due to the large amounts of
different functional rooms e.g. A computer lab will require a different temperature to a lecture
theatre. The main advantage of this is to be able to provide different temperatures simultaneously.
The technology’s individual units contain thermostatically controlled dampers which control the
amount of air entering each block depending on their cooling requirements (see figure 3)
Figure 3, shows how each zone integrates with one another
passing through air, and how the air passes through a
controlled damper to ensure each block will receive the
required temperature desired. (Pennycook, 2010)
Figure 2, shows an example of a ‘VAV’ terminal
unit (Pennycook, 2010)
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Figure 4, Ellison block A (Personal Photo) Figure 5, finished variable air volume system (Pennycook, 2010)
Figure 2 shows a current photo of elision building ground floor block A, after ‘VAV’ would be
installed, figure 3 shows how a corridor would look, this shows whilst the cooling system will bring
sustainable advantages it also looks very professional with an aesthetic finish.
‘VAV’ can incorporate heating devices within its terminals to produce warm air if necessary.
However the Ellison building currently has a radiator base heating system in place and this can be
used to produce warmer temperatures if necessary.
Fan Coil systems
Figure 6, illustration of a fan coil system (Pennycook, 2010)
Fan coil systems like VAV, are suitable to regulate
temperatures in multiple zone buildings. The fan
draws in a combination of both room and fresh air.
This is then filtered and passed through the cooling
and heating coils. The air is then passed into a
plenum, which has multiple outlets to several
diffusers if necessary. (Pennycook 2010)
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Why use mechanical cooling in Ellison?
Why it Benefits Ellison Building?
VAV Matches the specific temperature requirement
across Ellison’s 5 blocks. Particularly to a building
which requires a year round cooling system,
Ellison contains many computers and computer
technology which radiates large amounts of heat.
Energy efficient with the ability to reduce the
speed of the fan during periods of low usage.
Boosts the buildings overall environmental
performance.
Provides quick and easy temperature control to
provide a comfortable environment for students.
Fan coil systems Ideal for multiple zone buildings.
Requires a smaller air handling plant for fresh air
which reduces space required.
Rapid temperature change to suit student’s
requirements.
Boosts buildings environmental performance
Which multi-zones can it cool?
Both of these mechanical cooling technologies are designed to supply cooling to different areas
simultaneously. From figure 7 below this can be a range from corridors, classrooms, stairways, and
lecture halls, all with different requirements but all must be satisfied at the same time.
Figure 7 – Photos from across the entire Ellison building (Personal Photo) .
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Ventilation
Termodeck
Termodeck is a Swedish technology which cools a building without the use of a refrigeration plant. It
cools a building by using night ventilation. During night time, the building takes in excess amount of
cool air from the outside. This then eliminates the heat accumulated by the building during the day.
The structure also allows heat to be absorbed from room radiation and can cool outside air as it
passes through the building. A solid thermal must be present between the air and mass of the
building. (P. Barton, 2002)
Termodeck brings the thermal storage capacity of a buildings structural mass to satisfy the internal
temperatures. A buildings thermal mass effectiveness is improved by passing air through a slab
before it enters inside. This slab acts as heat exchangers between the supply air and the rooms
inside. The floor and ceiling slabs also conveys fresh air into the building and serves as an energy
store as well as being the structural floor. (Termodeck, 2015)
Figure 8 –Cross section of how termodeck works (Termodeck, 2015)
Does termodeck actually work? Case-study – The Elizabeth Fry Building
The Elizabeth Fry building is very similar to Ellison. It is a university building which teaches the similar
subjects, therefore requires similar functioning rooms, e.g. Lecture halls, labs etc. It is also of a
similar size spanning across four storeys. The building used termodeck technology therefore this
case study is a good indicator to compare with. Offices and seminar rooms are supplied with air
through hollow core slabs from ducts which are running above suspended ceilings. After air has
passed through ceiling slabs the air can now enter the rooms via soffits diffusers. Return air is
extracted back from behind ceilings and back to the air handling units via the buildings corridor
ceiling plenum Main lecture halls are also cooled using Termodeck. In the Elizabeth fry building
ceiling cores are ducted down to wall framed terminals. These cores can only withstand one third of
the maximum air capacity, the remainder of the air is supplied through the floor, via a damper which
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can only be controlled during opening hours of the building, boosting sustainable efficiency. (The
Probe Team, 1998)
Low E windows
The Elizabeth fry building contains ‘low e, argon filled, triple glazing with an inner sealed unit’ (The
Probe Team, 1998)
Figure 9 – Diagram showing how low-e glass functions (Low Energy House, 2015).
The diagram above shows the particular glass used in the Elizabeth fry building. Low E glass will
allow a reduction in heat loss, cold spots and draughts near windows; this will improve and can
improve floor space allowing more people to sit closer to windows. Energy is saved by maintaining a
comfortable environment at a lower thermostat settings, this also reduces the running costs of the
buildings. (Low Energy House, 2015)
Results
(The Probe Team, 1998) Analysed how the building had performed once it was functioning with their
opinions. The building contained high levels of insulation, some like an ‘air-tight’ envelope.
Apparently the triple glazing windows removed the need for perimeter heating, the ability to
recover heat also meet the buildings requirements. They also found that termodeck has produced
very stable and supplied comfortable temperatures in both winter and summer, a lot better than in-
air conditioned buildings avoiding the use of mechanical cooling. By avoiding the need for
conventional heating this has allowed the low-energy building be constructed within academic
budgets. The control system has allowed temperatures be modified as soon as possible and ensure
student conformability always comes first whilst they are studying within the building. (The Probe
Team, 1998)
This shows that a low-energy highly sustainable building can be built within the UK and still be on
target with budgets for universities such as Northumbria renovating or replacing certain areas of
Ellison Building.
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Current heating, can improvements be made?
At this current moment, Ellison building is heated through 10 boilers situated below A block. The
heat is gas fired and the whole building uses radiator heating after changing from radiant heating 10
years ago. This report will look at more modern ways to heat the building with a more sustainable
and low energy outcome.
District heating
District heating is a pipe network that utilises a centralised heat boiler to many areas (Ellison block
A-E). It normally district heating composes of three components; an energy centre, a pipe network
coming from the centre and connections to the building to satisfy heating requirements. This can
supply a heat demand which satisfies heating requirements to different blocks of Ellison
simultaneously. (Robin Wilstshire, 2014)
District heating is a technology for the future, as soon as new low-carbon and renewable sources
become available, they can be soon integrated quickly to the system. District heating can utilise the
efficient use of thermal energy by combining heat and power (CHP). This brings power in from
geothermal heat sources and fuels that are much easier stored centrally such as wood and residuals.
By efficiently using energy and renewable sources means that district heating can considerably
reduce carbon dioxide emissions, this allows it a lot easier to reach emission targets and will boost
the university’s environmental reputation across the others whilst possibly save running costs
depending on the kind of district heating used. The main heat source current for CHP is gas, mainly
due to the most cost effect for low-carbon, however the growing demand for biomass boilers allows
the building to use significantly renewable sources such as wood chip boilers or solar thermal
powered boilers. (Robin Wilstshire, 2014)
Wood Chip Boilers
A wood chip boiler heats a building through biomass energy. Burning wood as a fuel source is a
renewable way to provide energy.
.
Figure 10 shows how wood is used in
the biomass life cycle (Robin
Wilstshire, 2014).
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Wood can be used to provide CHP, this could provide heat and electricity for the full Ellison building
as it has been recently successful in educational and other public buildings. The type of wood can
vary and each has different efficient results, from logs, pellets and chips. The kind of wood used will
depend on how much money the university are willing to spend and how energy efficient they are
wiling to be. (Suttie, 2011)
Wood chips would be ideal for Ellison building to suit is size and span of building that is required to
be heated.
Wood chip boilers have been used for public buildings such as schools and universities before, below
are a few examples.
Jesus College in Cambridge University was completed in
2005 to replace an oil based heating system. The current
system uses 1 boiler by burning wood pellets; it heats
the whole building as well as its water. It has proven
successful as there has been a 25-40% reduction in fuel
bills. (Suttie, 2011) This is another driver for Ellison
building to provide more sustainable energy. It shows it
can be achieved from having an original oil bases system
much like the current situation Ellison building has.
Figure 11 – Jesus College, Cambridge (Suttie, 2011)
Taylor high school in Motherwell has also changed from
a previous oil based system. The wood chip boiler
provides heat and hot water to the whole building by
burning wood chips, this is another example of success
as the buildings annual fuel costs are £10,000 less than
the original systems costs. (Suttie, 2011)
If Ellison building can employ this kind of technology within the building whilst bringing in other
changes such as Termodeck and triple glazed windows, the building could see a much more
comfortable environment whilst also reducing carbon.
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Combined heat and power (CHP)
CHP is the process of combining heat and electrical power at the same time from the same source;
they are used in buildings which demand a yearlong heat and electricity requirement such as Ellison
building. It consists of an engine where the fuel is burned; the mechanical power which comes from
the engine is then used to produce electricity. Heat from the engine which is known as waste heat
will then provide hot water or heating across the building. Waste heat can also be used to cool once
it has been passed through an absorption cooler. (Pennycook, 2008)
The main advantage of CHP is the ability to produce both heat and electricity simultaneously.
The main environmental benefit is how heat is produced by CHP unit. Electricity is produced through
waste heat; this allows a building to reach cost efficiencies of up to 80%. (Pennycook, 2008)
Renewable technology available
Photovoltaics
PV is a technology which converts sunlight into electricity power. Normally PV cells are made from
silicone. When light makes contact with the cells it produces an electric field across the layers. A
more powerful sunshine will produce more electricity. These cells are grouped together and
attached to either a roof or the ground. (Energy Savings Trust, 2015)
Below figure 12 shows an outside view of Ellison building A block. Solar panels could be mounted all
along the roof tops and take advantage of PV cell technology.
Figure 12 – A block (personal photo) Figure 13 – wall mounted PV cells (Pennycook, 2008)
Figure 13 shows a monocrystalline silicone cell. This produces a conversion rate from sunshine to
electricity of 15-18% (Pennycook, 2008) Block A is the most exposed part of the building to sunlight,
so setting up the technology here is probably the best option.
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(Energy Savings Trust, 2015) Have produced figures that from March 2014, PV cells can save a
building up to £785 per year in cost savings. Here is another factor to influence Ellison building to act
more environmentally friendly.
On Northumbria University campus the Northumberland building has solar panels all across one side
of the whole building
Figure 14 shows it may be possible to incorporate a similar design to Ellison building, not only would
this produce solar energy but would keep in similar design to the rest of campus.
Wind Turbines
Wind turbines convert kinetic energy to mechanical energy to produce electricity (Pennycook, 2008).
Ellison building currently has one wind turbine situation on C block roof, however the whole building
could benefit by bringing in more and collecting as much kinetic energy as possible for a low-cost
whilst promoting sustainable energy.
This shows the single wind turbine across the
whole building on C block, the building can
benefit from multiple of these as they do not
take up much space and are capable of
producing electricity for smaller areas
around the building
Figure 15 – Wind turbine above C block (personal photo)
It is difficult to predict how much a wind turbine due to maintenance issues throughout out the year
but on average they can reduce overall costs up to £850 per year whilst producing renewable
energy. (CAT Information Service, 2015)
Figure 14 – solar panels on Northumberland
building (personal photo)
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Conclusion
There is certainly a broad range of possible renovations that can take place in Ellison building. Due to
how busy Northumbria University is during the year a replacement of Ellison building is not possible,
even if this means a partial replacement, this would disrupt a large amount of core subjects taught
within this school, Northumbria is the largest University in the North-East of England so this option is
not viable.
Termodeck is a promising technology and how it produces a comfortable environment is exactly
what the Ellison building needs. This and the use of triple glazing windows showed that the Elizabeth
fry building was a huge success, these two buildings are very similar which is an encouraging
example to use and promote these technologies, the building was very well insulated and described
as a ‘air-tight envelope’
Other mechanical cooling such as VAV and fan coil systems have also shown many advantages why
to use them and have been successful particularly in multi zone buildings such as Ellison.
If these technologies are used the cooling and insulation of the building will perform much better.
Thermostat settings will not need to be high as the building will be very insulated. Using a new
cooling system and bringing in possibly district heating will give the building a very high energy
rating.
Currently Ellison building has an energy rating of 97 on D class, shown in figure 16 below. This is an
average figure for the size of Ellison. This will improve if these technologies talked about in this
report are considered to replace the current oil based system. A wood chip boiler not only reduces
cost for the university but will provide a higher energy and reduce carbon emissions. The building
does not provide any energy through the use of renewable energy whatsoever at this current time,
this must change and technologies such as wind turbines and solar panels must be embraced and
used throughout the building.
Figure 16 – Ellison Buildings energy certificate (personal photo)
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Works Cited CAT Information Service, 2015. How much will a wind turbine earn?. [Online]
Available at: http://info.cat.org.uk/questions/wind/how-much-will-wind-turbine-earn
[Accessed 10 Febuary 2015].
Energy Savings Trust, 2015. Energy Savings Trust. [Online]
Available at: www.energysavingstrust.org.uk
[Accessed 10 Febuary 2015].
Google, 2015. Google Maps. [Online]
Available at: www.google.com
[Accessed 10 Febuary 2015].
Low Energy House, 2015. Low E Glass. [Online]
Available at: http://www.lowenergyhouse.com/low-E-glass.html
[Accessed 5 Febuary 2015].
Lynes, G. R. R. J. K., 2007. Institutional motivations and barriers to the construction of green
buildings on campus: A case study of the University of Waterloo, Ontario. International Journal of
Sustainability in Higher Education, 8(3), pp. 339-354.
Northumbria University, 2015. Northumbria University. [Online]
Available at: www.northumbria.ac.uk
[Accessed 4 January 2015].
P. Barton, C. B. ,. P. S., 2002. A theoretical study of the thermal performance of the TermoDeck
hollow core slab system. Applied Thermal Engineering, 22(1), p. 1485–1499.
Pennycook, K., 2008. An Illustrated Guide To Renewable Technologies. BSRIA.
Pennycook, K., 2010. An Illustrated Guide To Mechanical Cooling. BSRIA.
Robin Wilstshire, J. W. P. W., 2014. A Technical Guide To District Heating. BRE.
Suttie, E., 2011. Biomass Energy, Wood fuel for space and water heating. BRE Trust.
Termodeck, 2015. Termodeck. [Online]
Available at: http://www.termodeck.com/how.html
[Accessed 5 January 2015].
The Probe Team, 1998. Elizabeth Fry Building. BUILDING SERVICES JOURNAL APRIL , 1(1), pp. 20-25.
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