| EPSRC Reference: |
TS/H002782/1 |
| Title: |
A Simulation-based Optimisation Tool for the Minimisation of Building Carbon Emissions and Water Usage |
| Principal Investigator: |
Wright, Professor JA |
| Other Investigators: |
|
| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
|
| Project Partners: |
|
| Department: |
Civil and Building Engineering |
| Organisation: |
Loughborough University |
| Scheme: |
Technology Programme |
| Starts: |
27 August 2010 |
Ends: |
26 August 2012 |
Value (£): |
181,166
|
| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Building Ops & Management |
Construction Ops & Management |
|
| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
|
| Related Grants: |
|
| Panel History: |
|
|
Summary on Grant Application Form |
|
Contemporary building simulation tools enable building designers to evaluate the performance of user-defined design solutions (for a given building form, choice of construction materials, HVAC system type and control strategy, etc). However, for even the experienced designer, the exploration of alternative design solutions in the multi-parameter building design space is highly demanding, and can result in design solutions that do not truly minimise the buildings carbon emissions, capital costs, or water usage. This project aims to provide designers with automatically generated design solutions that minimise the carbon emissions, capital costs, and water usage of a building. It also aims to provide designers with information on the sensitivity of these design goals to changes in the design parameters. This information will give designers confidence that their decisions do not lead to unforeseen and negative consequences associated with the energy performance of buildings, and in particular, low carbon buildings. The design solutions will be generated through an innovative design process and associated software tool that is based on the integration of an established building performance simulation and an evolutionary optimisation method, previous research having demonstrated that such an approach can produce designs that have up to 32% lower energy use than those resulting from contemporary design practice. The new design workflow process and software tool will provide designers with alternative design solutions on which to base their design decisions, this ultimately leading to a new way of working across the building industry. The innovative approach will be applicable at every design stage, with the most significant gains in building performance being through its application to the concept design stage (during which there is the greatest potential to explore alternative design solutions).
|
|
Key Findings |
|
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
|
|
Potential use in non-academic contexts |
|
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
|
|
Impacts |
|
| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
|
| Date Materialised |
|
|
|
|
Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
|
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
|
| Project URL: |
|
| Further Information: |
|
| Organisation Website: |
http://www.lboro.ac.uk |