Thèses sur le sujet « Building Performance Based Design »

The advent of performance-based codes in the United States underscores the need for a thorough, systematic approach to the documentation and accomplishment of a performance-based design. This project has three objectives: economic analysis of performance-based codes from a social view point, documentation of a performance-based design, and an example application of the ICC Performance-Based Code to high-rise office building. Economic issues explored include the externalities, insurance, and liabilities associated with performance-based codes. Documentation of a performance-based design includes delineation of the scope and goals with agreement between the designer, architect, building owner, and authority having jurisdiction, examination of the relevant code statutes, development of appropriate fire scenarios which meet the requirements of the performance matrices, thorough documentation of all design tool and calculation assumptions and limitations, and a clear demonstration of satisfactory accomplishment of stated goals and objectives. Finally, performance-based design alternatives to a prescriptively-designed 40 story office building were developed. There were three major design alternatives. The first design feature was the evacuation of occupants using elevators. The second alternative was the use of the assured fire safety system, which combined emerging technologies in fire detection, alarm, and suppression. The final design alternative was the routing of the domestic water supply through the sprinkler riser in order increase the reliability of the sprinkler system and save design, material, and installation costs associated with the domestic water supply risers. Finally, this project analyzed the specific life-cycle economic impact of the design alternatives when compared to the prescriptive design.

This degree project aims to investigate the potential and possibilities for conceptual energyanalyses in the early stages of the design process. Many key decisions are made in theearly stages of a project regarding the shape and orientation of the building. Conceptualenergy analyses can provide the architects with insight regarding different design option’srelative energy performance.As the demands for more sustainable buildings increases, so does the need for earlyenergy analyses. Performing analyses in the early stage requires many assumptions andguesswork which could lead to a large margin of error.The offering from Autodesk is a module in Revit Architecture/MEP and the stand aloneprogram Project Vasari (under development). It is an interesting tool for architects with aneasy and quick work flow and can easily be implemented in today’s design process.The analysis of the results generated shows that the program has a margin of error thatmake some of the features less useful. Comparing the results with an analysis done in amore established and sophisticated software suggests that the result at this stage cannot betrusted.

Stainless steel profiled walls have increasingly been used in the process and other industries to protect people and personnel against hydrocarbon or chemical explosions. The existence of various uncertainties, in particular the ones associated with explosion loading and parameters, make the current design and assessment which are based on single degree of freedom (SDOF) and deterministic approach, very complicated and in many cases leading to unreliable design assessment. Therefore, developing an appropriate reliability approach for assessing and designing blast wall structures would greatly assist in improving the safety of personnel and plant facilities. The objective of this research study is to develop a practical framework for performance based design of stainless steel profiled barrier blast walls, with specific focus on reliability assessment by implementing stochastic finite element analysis (SFEA). Initially, the current traditional SDOF method is reviewed to identify the related issues and weaknesses and accordingly an appropriate method for structural assessments of the blast walls is proposed. Furthermore, a comprehensive investigation on various available methods is carried out to identify a suitable probabilistic approach for the reliability assessments. The corresponding reliability of these structures is evaluated with a MCS method, implementing the Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) approach. A programming package is developed using Ansys Parametric Design Language (APDL), to generate parametric finite element models and to perform automated reliability assessments. The significant uncertainties are combined with an advanced analysis model to investigate the influence of loading, material and geometric uncertainties on the response of these structures under realistic boundary conditions and connection configuration. Effective implementation of the framework is achieved by the development of a combined programming package to deal with both finite element and reliability analyses. A further development for this research study is associated with the development of performance based design approach, using the results of the probabilistic and finite element assessments. This can be utilised for optimum and appropriate design of the blast wall structures, based on the defined performance levels. Application and practicality of the developed approach and associated programming package is demonstrated through a number of case studies of realistic stainless steel profiled barriers subject to explosion loading. The results of the preliminary probabilistic case studies confirm that the explosion loading is the main influential input parameter and also nonlinearities are more critical than dynamic effects for unstiffened profiled barrier blast walls. An appropriate dynamic load factor (DLF) is proposed for the preliminary stage of the design and assessments. It is observed that using the probabilistic approach can help identify the important variables and parameters to optimize the design of profiled blast walls, and to perform risk assessments for these structures. The study is expanded to develop a performance based design methodology, linking the probabilistic results with various performance levels and associated parameters (e.g., damage levels). The results and discussions of the case studies associated with performance based design assessments confirm the suitability of the proposed framework, and also highlight the complications in defining intermediate levels, without preliminary investigations. This shows that QRA approach and involvement of professionals can play an important role to develop performance levels and the associated objectives. The developed programming package and associated framework are expected to provide valuable guidance to professional design engineers and researchers, by obviating the need for complex computational requirements.

Review of decades of worldwide experience using standards, codes and guidelines related to performance-based fire protection design for buildings has identified shortcomings in the interpretation, application and implementation of the performance-based design process, wide variation in the resulting levels of performance achieved by such designs, and several opportunities to enhance the process. While others have highlighted shortcomings in the past, as well as some ideas to enhance the process, it is proposed that a more fundamental change is needed. First, the political and technical components of the process need to be clearly delineated to facilitate better analysis and decision-making within each component. Second, the process needs to be changed from one which focuses only on fire safety systems to one which views buildings, their occupants and their contents as integrated systems. In doing so, the activities associated with the normal operation of a building and how they might be impacted by the occurrence of a fire event become clearer, as do mitigation options which account for the behaviors and activities associated with normal use. To support these changes, a new framework for a risk-informed performance-based process for fire protection design is proposed: one which is better integrated than current processes, that treats a fire event as a disruptive event of a larger and more complex "building-occupant" system, and that provides more specific guidance for engineering analysis with the aim to achieve more complete and consistent analysis. This Ph.D. Dissertation outlines the challenges with the existing approaches, presents the "building-occupant" system paradigm, illustrates how viewing fire (or any other hazard) as a disruptive event within an holistic "building-occupant" system can benefit the overall performance of this system over its lifespan, and outlines a framework for a risk-informed performance-based process for fire protection design. Case studies are used to illustrate shortcomings in the existing processes and how the proposed process will address these. This Dissertation also includes a plan of action needed to establish guidelines to conduct each of the technical steps of the process and briefly introduces the future work about how this plan could be practically facilitated via a web-platform as a collaborative environment.

The Department of Building and Housing is currently developing a performance framework that will, if adopted, provide a compulsory methodology for performance based fire engineering designs to prove compliance with the fire safety requirements of the New Zealand Building Code. The conceptual performance framework currently includes eight design fire scenarios, fire loads for particular building uses, and tenability criteria for the life safety of occupants. As the level of fire safety within the Code is not explicit, the Department of Building and Housing determined that the performance framework for fire should ensure buildings are designed and built to provide the same level of safety as if they complied with the current Compliance Document for New Zealand Building Code Fire Safety Clauses, C/AS1. This work analysed 12 buildings with a range of uses, which comply with the current C/AS1, using the conceptual performance framework to provide a risk comparison for life safety. Accepted, previously established calculation and modelling methods were used to test the case buildings to the performance framework. None of the buildings met the pass criteria proposed for life safety. Consequently, to comply with the performance framework, a building would be required to be designed to a higher level of safety than is currently accepted to meet code. This shows the current proposal provides a more onerous design regime for fire safety for buildings than the current C/AS1. The results of this research show the conceptual performance framework for fire safety is not ready to be included into New Zealand building regulations in its present form. Furthermore, protection from fire for primary structural members and systems, to protect against building collapse, and tenability criteria and fire fighting access for fire fighters needs to be developed and included in the framework.

For the development of performance based design on a proper scientific basis the use of the concept of risk is inevitable. However, the application of this concept to actual structural design is not simple because of the large ranges of probability and consequences of events which exist. This is compounded by a plethora of different actions that can be taken to reduce the probabilities of the events and also the magnitude of the consequences. It is the reduction in the magnitude of these consequences which is essentially the goal of design. This work aims to address the challenges posed by the application of the concepts of performance based design for structures in fire. Simple methodologies have been developed for the assessment of the consequences of an extreme event. These methodologies are based upon fundamental behaviour of structures in fire. A methodology has been developed which can be used to assess the capacity/deflection behaviour through the complete thermal deflection of floor slabs. This takes into account positive effects on the capacity of floor slabs of the membrane stress at the slabs boundaries at low deflections as well as the final capacity provided by the tensile membrane action of the reinforcement mesh at high deflections. For vertical stability of structures in fire, analytical equations to describe the behaviour of floor systems at the perimeter of a building are developed. From these equations, the resulting pull-in forces on external columns can be calculated as well as the resulting horizontal load applied to the column. From this, a simple stability assessment is proposed which can be used to assess the consequences of multiple floor fires on tall buildings. These analytical methodologies are brought together in a risk based frame- work for structural design which can be used to identify areas in a building or structural components which pose a high residual risk. These elements can be qualitatively ’ranked’ according to their relative risk and appropriate measures taken to reduce the risk to an acceptable level. The framework is illustrated via 2 case studies. The first is of a typical small office building, and the second is of a prestige office development.

This paper provides an assessment of the seismic performance of a code-designed buckling restrained braced frame building using the performance-based analysis procedures prescribed in ASCE 41-06. The building was designed based on the standards of the ASCE 7-05 for a typical office building located in San Francisco, CA. Nonlinear modeling parameters and acceptance criteria for buckling restrained brace components were developed to match ASCE 41-06 design standards for structural steel components, since buckling restrained braces are not currently included in ASCE 41-06. The building was evaluated using linear static, linear dynamic, nonlinear static and nonlinear dynamic analysis procedures. This study showed that the linear procedures produced more conservative results, with the building performing within the intended Life Safety limit, while the nonlinear procedures predicted that the building performed closer to the Immediate Occupancy limit for the 2/3 maximum considered earthquake hazard. These results apply to the full maximum considered earthquake hazard as well, under which the building performed within the Collapse Prevention limit in the linear analysis results and within the Life Safety limit in the nonlinear analysis results. The results of this paper will provide data for the engineering profession on the behavior of buckling restrained braced frames as well as performance based engineering as it continues to evolve.

Earthquakes can severely damage building structural and nonstructural systems and components, including active and passive fire protection and egress systems. If the occurrence of such damage is not anticipated at the design stage, the impact of a post-earthquake fire could be significant, as building and fire protection systems may not perform as expected. Unfortunately, even though both the seismic and fire engineering communities utilize performance-based approaches for designing well-performing and resilient buildings under earthquake and fire hazards respectively, each discipline carries out their associated building performance analyses independently. As a result, fire protection engineers have little guidance as to how to estimate structural and nonstructural building systems and component damage as inputs to help them develop post-earthquake building fire scenarios. To help bridge this gap, a conceptual framework is developed that illustrates how performance-based approaches for earthquake and fire engineering analysis and design can become more integrated for the development of post-earthquake fire scenarios. Using a fictional building in an earthquake prone area as an example, the conceptual framework is implemented to show (a) how earthquake-induced damage to building fire protection systems could be estimated using an earthquake performance assessment tool, (b) how the damage estimates might be translated into physical damage parameters in a way that is meaningful for developing post-earthquake building fire scenarios, (c) how the damage states might be implemented in terms of fire and egress modeling input parameters, and (d) how this information could be used to and compare post-earthquake building fire safety performance to a normal(undamaged) building fire conditions.

The rapid growth of high-rise high-density urban areas in coastal and near coastal, hurricane-prone cities has been observed globally and in the United States in recent decades. Favored by modern urban growth and planning policies, this trend is expected to accelerate in future. Recent climate change studies suggest a significant increase in the destructiveness of hurricanes in past 30 years by both increases in lifetime and intensity of hurricanes. Current prescriptive wind design approach does not provide transparent methods and criteria to reliably quantify the performance of buildings as well as the functional requirements necessary to accommodate large populations during extreme wind. Since this approach primarily intends to keep the structural system essentially elastic, the more efficient design may be achievable by allowing controlled inelasticity in structural components. All these facts put a great emphasis on using a reliable wind design and assessment approach evidently describing the performance of high-rise building to wind loads beyond the current design wind loads. This dissertation presents the development of a wind performance-based engineering approach and its practical implementation for three, 47-, 40- and 30-story steel moment frame high-rise buildings. In this study, the nonlinear dynamic responses of the buildings to different wind hazard levels were evaluated by developing 3D nonlinear finite element models and utilizing a wind incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) approach. The wind loading for the 47-story building was measured by conducting wind pressure testing on a scaled rigid model at the Wall of Wind (WOW) facility at Florida International University. For two other buildings wind loads were acquired using TPU Aerodynamic Database. Using the IDA results and adopting available wind performance criteria, a wind performance assessment approach was developed representing the estimated performance levels as a function of the basic wind speed. Three types of wind performance were evaluated: structural component performance; cladding performance to wind-induced shear deformation; and serviceability motion comfort performance. This evaluation indicated remarkable lateral capacity associated with allowing controlled structural nonlinearity, in contrast to considerations required to assure acceptable serviceability and non-structural (e.g. cladding) performances.

In traditional planning process, energy analysts work on finalized architectural designs and have limited capability to amend inefficient energy features such as high aspect ratio. Energy efficiency being a major part of sustainable design, the need for performance-oriented design tools has become imminent. There is a wide range of energy simulation tools across the world. Crawley et al. (2005) proposes a plain comparison of the most common ones based on vendor-supplied information. The present report aims to identify simulation tools that can help architects making energy-efficient design decisions in early stage of building process and the most suitable programs will be tested on a standard case in Stockholm area with respect to their architecture, functionalities, usability and limitations.

Post-tensioned timber buildings utilise a new construction technique developed largely as part of research undertaken at the University of Canterbury. Timber buildings are constructed using an engineered timber product, such as laminated veneer lumber (LVL), and then stressed with post-tensioned unbonded high-strength steel tendons. The tendons apply a compressive stress to timber members to create a ductile moment resisting connection between adjacent timber members. The major benefit of post-tensioned timber buildings is a significantly improved structural performance. As timber is a combustible material there is a perceived high fire risk in timber buildings. While timber buildings can be designed to perform very well in fire, a design guide for the fire safety design of post-tensioned timber buildings has not been previously developed. Furthermore, previous research has found that post-tensioned timber box beams may be susceptible to shear failure in fire conditions. This research investigated the fire performance of post-tensioned timber buildings. A design strategy for the fire performance of post-tensioned timber buildings was developed in conjunction with a simplified calculation method for determining the fire resistance of post-tensioned timber structural members. The fire performance and failure behaviour of post-tensioned timber box beam was also specifically investigated, with special focus given to the shear performance of box beams. A full scale furnace test of a LVL post-tensioned LVL box beam was conducted at the Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ). Four further full scale tests of LVL box beams were conducted at ambient temperature at the University of Canterbury structural laboratory. Through this research two distinct strategies for the fire design of post-tensioned timber structures were developed. The first strategy is to rely on the residual timber of the members only. The second strategy considers specific fire protection of the post-tensioning system, which can then be used to contribute to the fire resistance of the member. The results of the full scale tests showed good agreement with the proposed the simplified calculation method. It was also determined that shear failure does not need to be specifically considered other than performing strength checks as for other design actions.

Thesis (M.S.) -- University of Maryland, College Park, 2003
Thesis research directed by: Dept. of Fire Protection Engineering. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references. Published by UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Mich. Also available in paper.

A substantial amount of credible evidence shows that properly designed healthcare built environments can positively impact upon the health outcomes of the building users. This offers an opportunity to improve the quality of healthcare through appropriately designed healthcare built environments. Evidence-based design (EBD) emerged within healthcare building design practice to enhance the process of designing with credible evidence. This research explored improvement opportunities for EBD in the UK which would subsequently improve the quality of healthcare through built environment interventions. Specifically, three key research gaps were addressed during this research. Firstly, this research explored current practices of evidence use during healthcare designing and opportunities to increase the direct use of research-based evidence and alternative ways of conveying research-based evidence into the design process through other source of generic evidence for design. Secondly, this research explored how evidence could be effectively expressed within healthcare design standards, guidance and tools (SGaTs) in the forms of performance and prescriptive specifications. Finally, considering the unique nature of built environment design, this research explored how project unique contextual circumstances impact EBD processes and how practitioners reflect on these circumstances. These challenges were then transformed into six objectives. Following a comprehensive literature review, this research was divided into four phases. First, a model of the sources and flows of evidence (SaFE) was developed to represent evidence for EBD within generic evidence for design. The initial conceptual model was developed through desk study, based on the literature review, self-experience and the experience. This model was then verified with the comments from five un-structured interviews conducted with lecturers and senior lecturers of the School of Civil and Building Engineering. Finally, the model was validated using 12 semi-structured interviews conducted with design practitioners from the industry. In addition to the validating the sources and flows of evidence these interviews revealed rationales behind design practitioners use of evidence from four types of evidence sources. These results revealed improvement opportunities to increase the intake of research-based evidence use during healthcare built environments designing. The main data collection method for this research was case studies. Eight exemplar design elements within three case studies were investigated to explore details of evidence use practices; practices of using performance and prescriptive specifications; and impact of project unique contextual circumstances for EBD process and how design practitioners reflect on these circumstances. Results of this research revealed that EBD needs to be supported by both externally published research evidence and through internally generated evidence. It was also identified that EBD could be significantly facilitated through research- evidence informed other generic design evidence sources. Healthcare design SGaTs provides a promising prospect to facilitate EBD. Performance specification driven healthcare design SGaTs supplemented by prescriptive specifications to define design outputs and design inputs could improve effective use of evidence-informed SGaTs. These results were incorporated into a framework to guide development of healthcare design SGaTs. Finally, by exploring how projects unique contextual circumstances impact EBD processes and how practitioners reflect on these circumstances, this research identified the need for procedural guidance for designers to guide evidence acquisition, evidence application and new evidence generation.

For a specific range of building and occupancy types, this report examines the effectiveness of automatic sprinkler systems installed in New Zealand and Australia. The aim of the research is to quantify the likelihood of a fully developed fire occurring in sprinklered buildings. By deriving an annual probability of occurrence this can be compared with the accepted exceedance probabilities that exist for other limit state design actions for the design of steel structures. Comprehensive data collated for the entire history of sprinkler installations in New Zealand and Australia is analysed to obtain conditional probabilities that confirm the effectiveness of sprinklers to control fires. These probabilities correspond to the likelihood of fully developed fire occurring being classified as an extremely unlikely event. Passive fire protection is normally provided to protect a structure against a fully developed fire. It is therefore suggested that certain types of structural steel frames in sprinklered buildings do not require passive fire protection to meet performance requirements of the Building Code. The performance of steel frames without fire protection when exposed to fire following earthquake is assessed in a probabilistic framework. The likelihood of damage to the steel frame is not very different for the scenario of fire without earthquake. This report also examines other aspects that affect sprinkler reliability, such as town main water supply, system isolation due to internal alterations and booster pump reliability. Most of these items do not have a major effect on sprinkler reliability. Current literature describing the performance of steel framed multi-level buildings when subjected to fully developed fires is reviewed. The favourable behaviour of these real frames in natural fires confirms that the consequences are not usually serious if steel members without passive fire protection are exposed to severe fires.

This thesis presents a methodology to determine failure criteria of building insulation materials in the event of a fire that is specific to each typology of insulation material used. This methodology is based on material characterisation and assessment of fire performance of the most common insulation materials used in construction. Current methodologies give a single failure criterion independent of the nature of the material – this can lead to uneven requirements when addressing materials of different characteristics. At present, fire safety codes establish that performance of different materials or assemblies is assumed to be “equivalent” when subject to the same test, where attainment of the unique failure criteria occurs after a required minimum time. Nevertheless, when using extremely different materials this may not be actually the case. Building performance is currently defined in a quantitative way with respect to factors such as energy usage (i.e. global thermal transmittance), element weight (i.e. thickness and mass), space utilisation and cost of application. In the case of fire performance, only a threshold value is required, therefore a quantitative performance assessment is not conducted. As a result, the drivers are those associated with the variables that can be quantified, whereas the thresholds merely need to be met without any alternative for a better performance. This work opens the door to a performance-based-design methodology that takes into account fire performance as an optimisation variable for the building design, to be used with all other quantifiable variables. An added advantage is that the numerical tool required embraces a low level of complexity. As a result, the possibility for any insulation product to achieve quantifiable and acceptable fire safety levels for required energy efficiency targets is established. As a final remark, an application of the performance assessment methodology that introduces fire safety as a quantifiable variable is presented.

A framework for performance based fire design is in the process of being developed by the Department of Building and Housing and such a framework may become a compulsory methodology for performance based fire design in the future. The framework has been developed with the intention of providing a similar level of safety to a building as if the building is designed in accordance with the New Zealand compliance document C/AS1. Ten design fire scenarios have been included in the framework to ensure buildings will be challenged. Design fires for particular building uses, tenability criteria for occupant safety, detector criteria to determine detection time and pre-movement time for egress calculation have been specified in the framework. In order to provide a comparison of the framework against the international building code, three complex case studies have been applied to buildings designed in accordance with NFPA5000 and investigated using the input values and methodologies described in the framework. The case study buildings selected are a retail warehouse, a hospital and a shopping mall. The selection of the buildings was based on complexity of building layout, likelihood of rapid fire growth and high occupancy. Zone modelling (BRANZFIRE modelling) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (Fire Dynamic Simulation modelling) have been utilised in an Available Safe Egress Time (ASET) and Required Safe Egress Time (RSET) analysis. Results of the research showed that the framework provided a robust and consistent method for performance based fire design and the guidance provided in the framework gave a clear methodology to determine the ASET and the RSET. In additional, the framework provided an even more restrictive requirement than the prescriptive requirement in the NFPA5000 in relation to external walls fire resistance and mezzanine floor fire resistance. Conversely, it provided a too relaxed requirement than the prescriptive requirement in the NFPA5000 in relation to means of egress and fire/smoke compartmentation.

Els edificis, des de la construcció, a l'ús, fins a la demolició, són responsables d'un considerable impacte sobre el medi ambient. Bona part de l'impacte ambiental del sector de la construcció està relacionat amb el consum d'energia. Dintre de les fases del cicle de vida de l'edifici, la fase d'ús és aquella en què s'empra la major quantitat de energia. A l'hora de considerar l'impacte del sector, és necessari prendre en compte que la nova construcció és encara predominant a escala global. En projectes de nova construcció és essencial que ja des de les fases de disseny es prenguin les decisions coneixent les seves implicacions en termes d'energia, per a reduir l'impacte negatiu dels futurs edificis. En aquest context, les eines existents per a modelar el funcionament energètic dels edificis poden aplicar-se per a predir les seves prestacions. Alguns autors apunten a aquest tipus d'aplicació com prometedora per a una millor utilització de l'energia en els edificis. A pesar de l'existència d'una gran varietat d'eines que apliquen des de mètodes de càlcul simplificat fins a mètodes de simulació avançada, avui dia el seu ús en la pràctica professional és limitat. Sovint, els càlculs de les prestacions energètiques es limiten a les etapes finals del projecte. En molts casos es tracta de verificacions convencionals, com sol ocórrer en l'aplicació dels procediments de càlcul necessaris per a la certificació energètica. Les auditories energètiques més detallades són desenvolupades per part d'un nombre limitat de consultores energètiques en uns pocs països i es porten a terme per a edificis excepcionals per magnitud i tipologia. Les excepcions existents no són rellevants respecte a l'impacte global del sector de la construcció en el medi ambient. En la majoria dels projectes els procediments de càlcul de les prestacions energètiques no estan integrats al llarg de tot el procés de disseny; la seva eficaç i efectiva incorporació en la rutina dels professionals en suport a les decisions de projecte és fora del comú. Resulta paradoxal que les eines de càlcul s'explotin més en projectes excepcionals que en la gran majoria dels projectes que realment determinar l'impacte del sector. En aquesta tesi, investiguem l'ús de mètodes per al càlcul de les prestacions energètiques dels edificis en la pràctica rutinària del projecte. L'objectiu és entendre millor les barreres i les potencialitats dels diferents tipus de mètode de càlcul que existeixen actualment amb la finalitat de millorar la seva explotació. El nostre interès es dirigeix, més enllà de projectes singulars, cap a la integració de l'avaluació energètica en l'activitat dels professionals comuns. Amb aquest estudi pretenem contribuir a omplir un buit que és reconegut en la literatura: la necessitat de més investigació sobre la integració en el procés de disseny de les eines per al càlcul de les prestacions energètiques dels edificis. La majoria dels estudis s'aproximen a aquest tema des dels camps de l'enginyeria i de la física de la construcció. En canvi, en aquesta tesi s'aborda el tema des de la perspectiva del projecte, parant esment al procés a través del que es genera la solució de projecte. Per tant, el focus no està en l'anàlisi energètica, sinó en la seva integració en el procés de disseny. El treball realitzat inclou una investigació teòrica i dos cas d'estudis. La investigació teòrica abasta àrees disciplinessis que tendeixen a estar separades en la literatura, com el projecte arquitectònic i l'avaluació energètica dels edificis. Aquest enfocament interdisciplinari és la base per a examinar l'ús dels mètodes de càlcul de les prestacions energètica en el context del projecte. Els dos casos d'estudi serveixen de complement a la investigació teòrica. Cadascun se centra en la reconstrucció i l'anàlisi del procés de disseny d'un edifici multi-familiar d'habitatges socials. En ambdós casos hem examinat de quina manera els mètodes de càlcul aplicats per l'equip de projecte han estat integrats en el procés. La investigació teòrica es basa en la revisió de la literatura seguint dues línies paral•leles d'estudi. Una línia aborda el procés de disseny de l'edifici, abastant des d'estudis previs sobre el disseny, fins a metodologies per a la integració de l'avaluació energètica en el procés de disseny. El treball posa en evidència la complexitat del procés de disseny, ressaltant el seu caràcter holístic i dinàmic. L'altra línia d'investigació s'ocupa de l'avaluació energètica dels edificis i en particular dels mètodes per al càlcul de les prestacions energètiques. L'estudi posa de manifest la gran diversitat que existeix en la ventall dels mètodes disponibles. A través d'aquestes dues línies d'investigació s’estableix la base per al següent pas de la investigació: a partir d'aquí es tracta la utilització dels mètodes de càlcul existents en el context del projecte. L'anàlisi teòrica es complementa mitjançant l'observació del disseny en la pràctica professional. L'estudi mostra que part dels obstacles que dificulten una aplicació eficaç de les eines per al càlcul energètic és inherent al procés de disseny. Es posa de manifest que cada fase del procés de disseny és distinta, l'evolució del procés és en gran mesura impredictible i la faceta de l'energia s'ha de conciliar amb altres aspectes del projecte que sorgeixen al llarg del procés. Per aquest motiu no és trivial coordinar l'anàlisi de les prestacions energètiques amb altres tasques de disseny. A més de les dificultats que comporta el disseny, el desafiament per als equips de projecte es complica encara més a causa de la complexitat intrínseca de l'avaluació energètica. En aquest context, la selecció d'una eina apropiada es torna crucial. Estudis precedents destaquen la necessitat d'investigar sobre la identificació de mètodes de càlcul adequats per al disseny. Per aquesta raó, una part central en el treball aborda la identificació d'eines adequades per a les diferents fases del procés de disseny. Estudis anteriors han considerat diverses eines i comparat cadascuna analitzant les seves característiques. En aquesta tesi en canvi, analitzem com aquestes característiques s'adapten a les necessitats d'un equip de professionals que s'enfronta a un procés de disseny, ressaltant les diferències entre cada fase del procés i la singularitat de cada projecte. En particular, identifiquem i analitzem deu factors clau per a la integració de mètodes de càlcul apropiats en el projecte (per exemple, la immediatesa, l'exactitud, la capacitat de resposta a les decisions de disseny i la flexibilitat a les modificacions de projecte). Aquest conjunt de factors permet analitzar sistemàticament com les característiques de les eines de càlcul s'adeqüen a les necessitats del projecte. En aquesta tesi es destaca que la selecció de mètodes de càlcul adequats comporta un compromís difícil. Una aplicació eficaç dels mètodes de càlcul existents requereix la capacitat d'enfrontar-se a necessitats contradictòries, i trobar un equilibri entre elles que sigui adequat per a cada projecte. Per exemple, les necessitats de detall en el model i d'exactitud en el càlcul han de conciliar-se amb a la informació disponible en cada fase de projecte. Alhora, la creació d'un model detallat ha de ser compatible amb la quantitat de temps disponible i amb la necessitat de sincronitzar les tasques de disseny. Així mateix, la complexitat del model ha de ser congruent amb les competències de l'equip de disseny. Tots aquests factors, que són determinants per a l'elecció dels mètodes de càlcul, no són obvis. Es poden comprendre a fons solament si el procés de disseny, un context d'aplicació complex, s'entén amb claredat. El conflicte argumentat en aquesta tesi entre necessitats contraposades dintre d'un mateix projecte ofereix una clau per a explicar l'ús limitat de les eines de càlcul energètic. En contrast amb aquesta tendència, a través de l'anàlisi sistemàtica sobre la integració en el projecte de mètodes de càlcul apropiats, vam intentar construir un marc conceptual que és necessari per a millorar l'aplicació de les eines. Aquesta sistematització és indispensable per a facilitar la identificació d'eines adequades dintre de les pràctiques rutinàries del projecte. La capacitat de seleccionar mètodes de càlcul apropiats és essencial per a que el seu ús s'estengui entre més professionals i per a que les eines de càlcul es puguin explotar d'una manera més fructuosa.
Los edificios, desde la construcción, al uso, hasta la demolición, son responsables de un considerable impacto sobre el medio ambiente. Buena parte del impacto ambiental del sector de la construcción está relacionado con el consumo de energía. Dentro de las fases del ciclo de vida del edificio, la fase de uso es aquella en que se emplea la mayor cantidad de energía. A la hora de considerar el impacto del sector, es necesario tomar en cuenta que la nueva construcción es todavía predominante a escala global. En proyectos de nueva construcción es esencial que ya desde las fases de diseño se tomen las decisiones conociendo sus implicaciones en términos de energía, para reducir el impacto negativo de los futuros edificios. En este contexto, las herramientas existentes para modelar el funcionamiento energético de los edificios pueden aplicarse para predecir sus prestaciones. Algunos autores apuntan a este tipo de aplicación como prometedora para una mejor utilización de la energía en los edificios. A pesar de la existencia de una gran variedad de herramientas que aplican desde métodos de cálculo simplificado hasta métodos de simulación avanzada, hoy día su uso en la práctica profesional es limitado. A menudo los cálculos de las prestaciones energéticas se limitan a las etapas finales del proyecto. En muchos casos se trata de verificaciones convencionales, como suele ocurrir en la aplicación de los procedimientos de cálculo necesarios para la certificación energética. Las auditorías energéticas más detalladas son desarrolladas por parte de un número limitado de consultoras energéticas en unos pocos países y se llevan a cabo para edificios excepcionales por tamaño y tipología. Las excepciones existentes no son relevantes respecto al impacto global del sector de la construcción en el medio ambiente. En la mayoría de los proyectos los procedimientos de cálculo de las prestaciones energéticas no están integrados a lo largo de todo el proceso de diseño; su eficaz y efectiva incorporación en la rutina de los profesionales en soporte a las decisiones de proyecto es fuera de lo común. Resulta paradójico que las herramientas de cálculo se exploten más en proyectos excepcionales que en la gran mayoría de los proyectos que realmente determinar el impacto del sector. En esta tesis, se investiga el uso de métodos para el cálculo de las prestaciones energéticas de los edificios en la práctica rutinaria del proyecto. El objetivo es entender mejor las barreras y las potencialidades de los distintos tipos de método de cálculo que existen actualmente con el fin de mejorar su explotación. Nuestro interés se dirige, más allá de proyectos singulares, hacia la integración de la evaluación energética en la actividad de los profesionales comunes. Con este estudio se pretende contribuir a llenar un vacío que es reconocido en la literatura: la necesidad de más investigación sobre la integración en el proceso de diseño de las herramientas para el cálculo de las prestaciones energéticas de los edificios. La mayoría de los estudios se aproximan a este tema desde los campos de la ingeniería y de la física de la construcción. En cambio, en esta tesis se aborda el tema desde la perspectiva del proyecto, prestando atención al proceso a través del cual se genera la solución de proyecto. Por tanto, el foco no está en el análisis energético, si no en su integración en el proceso de diseño. El trabajo realizado incluye una investigación teórica y dos caso de estudios. La investigación teórica abarca áreas disciplinares que tienden a estar separadas en la literatura, como el proyecto arquitectónico y la evaluación energética de los edificios. Este enfoque interdisciplinario es la base para examinar el uso de los métodos de cálculo de las prestaciones energética en el contexto del proyecto. Los dos casos de estudio sirven de complemento a la investigación teórica. Cada uno se centra en la reconstrucción y el análisis del proceso de diseño de un edificio multifamiliar de viviendas sociales. En ambos casos hemos examinado de qué manera los métodos de cálculo aplicados por el equipo de proyecto han sido integrados en el proceso. La investigación teórica se basa en la revisión de la literatura siguiendo dos líneas paralelas de estudio. Una línea aborda el proceso de diseño del edificio, abarcando desde estudios previos sobre el diseño, hasta metodologías para la integración de la evaluación energética en el proceso de diseño. El trabajo pone en evidencia la complejidad del proceso de diseño, resaltando su carácter holístico y dinámico. La otra línea de investigación se ocupa de la evaluación energética de los edificios y en particular de los métodos para el cálculo de las prestaciones energéticas. El estudio pone de manifiesto la gran diversidad que existe en la abanico de los métodos disponibles. A través de estas dos líneas de investigación se establece la base para el siguiente paso de la investigación: a partir de aquí se trata la utilización de los métodos de cálculo existentes en el contexto del proyecto. El análisis teórico se complementa mediante la observación del diseño en la práctica profesional. El estudio muestra que parte de los obstáculos que dificultan una aplicación eficaz de las herramientas para el cálculo energético es inherente al proceso de diseño. Se pone de manifiesto que cada fase del proceso de diseño es distinta, la evolución del proceso es en gran medida impredecible y la faceta de la energía se tiene que conciliar con otros aspectos del proyecto que surgen a lo largo del proceso. Por este motivo no es trivial coordinar el análisis de las prestaciones energéticas con otras tareas de diseño. Además de las dificultades que conlleva el diseño, el desafío para los equipos de proyecto se complica aún más debido a la complejidad intrínseca de la evaluación energética. En este contexto, la selección de una herramienta apropiada se vuelve crucial. Estudios precedentes destacan la necesidad de investigar sobre la identificación de métodos de cálculo adecuados para el diseño. Por esta razón, una parte central en el trabajo aborda la identificación de herramientas adecuadas para las distintas fases del proceso de diseño. Estudios anteriores han considerado varias herramientas y comparado cada una analizando sus características. En esta tesis en cambio, analizamos como estas características se adaptan a las necesidades de un equipo de profesionales que se enfrenta a un proceso de diseño, resaltando las diferencias entre cada fase del proceso y la singularidad de cada proyecto. En particular, identificamos y analizamos diez factores clave para la integración de métodos de cálculo apropiados en el proyecto (por ejemplo, la inmediatez, la exactitud, la capacidad de respuesta a las decisiones de diseño y la flexibilidad a las modificaciones de proyecto). Este conjunto de factores permite analizar sistemáticamente como las características de las herramientas de cálculo se adecuan a las necesidades del proyecto. En esta tesis se destaca que la selección de métodos de cálculo adecuados conlleva un compromiso difícil. Una aplicación eficaz de los métodos de cálculo existentes requiere la capacidad de hacer frente a necesidades contradictorias, y encontrar un equilibrio entre ellas que sea adecuado para cada proyecto. Por ejemplo, las necesidades de detalle en el modelo y de exactitud en el cálculo tienen que conciliarse con a la información disponible en cada fase de proyecto. A la vez, la creación de un modelo detallado debe ser compatible con la cantidad de tiempo disponible y con la necesidad de sincronizar las tareas de diseño. Asimismo, la complejidad del modelo debe ser congruente con las competencias del equipo de diseño. Todos estos factores, que son determinantes para la elección de los métodos de cálculo, no son obvios. Se pueden comprender a fondo solo si el proceso de diseño, un contexto de aplicación complejo, se entiende con claridad. El conflicto argumentado en esta tesis entre necesidades contrapuestas dentro de un mismo proyecto ofrece una clave para explicar el uso limitado de las herramientas de cálculo energético. En contraste con esta tendencia, a través del análisis sistemático sobre la integración en el proyecto de métodos de cálculo apropiados, intentamos construir un marco conceptual que es necesario para mejorar la aplicación de las herramientas. Esta sistematización es indispensable para facilitar la identificación de herramientas adecuadas dentro de las prácticas rutinarias de proyecto. La capacidad de seleccionar métodos de cálculo apropiados es esencial para que su uso se extienda entre más profesionales y para que las herramientas de cálculo se puedan explotar de un modo más fructuoso.
Buildings, from the construction to the use until the disposal, are responsible for a considerable impact on the environment. Much of the environmental impact of the building sector is related to energy use. In the whole building life-cycle, the largest amount of energy is employed for the building operation. When the sector impact is considered, it is necessary to take into account that new construction is still predominant at a global scale. In projects of new construction it is essential to make energy conscious decisions from the design phases to limit the negative impact of new buildings. In this context the use of existing energy modelling tools to predict building performance is seen as a promising way to improve the energy performance of buildings. Despite the existence of a great variety of tools, which implement from simplified calculation methods to advanced simulation methods, their use in current design practise is limited at present. Often energy calculations are confined to final design stages and conventional verifications, as it frequently occurs in the application of energy certification procedures. Meanwhile, deeper analyses are circumscribed to a few engineering firms in a few countries and they regard exceptional buildings in size and typology. Existing exceptions are not relevant for the global impact of the building sector. In most projects energy modelling is not deeply integrated throughout the whole process. Its effective penetration in routine work of practitioners to support design decisions is very restricted. The paradox is that energy modelling has more application in exceptional projects than in the great majority of projects that really determine the sector impact. In this thesis, the use of energy calculation methods in routine design is investigated. The aim is to better understand the application barriers and the potential of existing modelling approaches, in order to improve their exploitation. Our concern is the integration of energy assessment in the activity of common practitioners behind exceptional cases. With this study we intend to contribute to filling a gap that is recognised in literature: the need for more research on the integration of energy modelling into the design process. Most studies have been carried out in the fields of engineering and building physics. This thesis instead is approached from the design perspective, paying attention to the process by which the design solution is generated. Then the focus is not on energy analysis, but on its integration in the design process. The work carried out includes a theoretical research and two case studies. The theoretical research encompasses disciplines that tend to be separated in literature, as building design and energy performance assessment. This interdisciplinary approach is the base to examine the use of existing modelling methods within the context of building design. The theoretical research is complemented with the two case studies, each one concerning the reconstruction and the analysis of the design process of a multifamily building for social housing. In both cases we have examined how the calculation methods applied by the design team have been integrated into the process. The theoretical research is based on the review of the literature following two parallel lines of inquiry. One line deals with the building design process, spanning from previous studies on design to methodologies for the integration of performance assessment in building design. The work reveals the complexity of design, evidencing the dynamic and holistic nature of the design process. The other line of inquiry deals with energy performance assessment, and in particular, with existing methods for the calculation of the energy performance of buildings. The study gives evidence of the considerable diversity existing in the range of the available methods. These two lines of inquiry set the base for the next step of the research, which focuses on the use of existing modelling methods within the context of building design. Our theoretical analysis is complemented by observation of the real design practice. The study shows that a part of the obstacles that hinder an effective application of energy modelling are inherent to the design process. In fact, the stages of the design process differ from each other, the evolution of the process is largely unpredictable, and the energy aspect must be conciliated with other aspects that rise through the process. So it is not trivial to coordinate the energy assessment with other design tasks. The challenge for design teams is complicated further by the intrinsic complexity of building energy analysis. In this context the selection of an appropriate tool becomes crucial. Precedent studies highlighted the need for research on the identification of suitable modelling methods. For this reason, a central part in the work deals with the identification of appropriate tools to be used at different stages of the design process. Precedent studies have made a screening of individual tools to scrutinize their features. In the thesis instead we focus on how tools features match with design needs, stressing the differences between design stages and the singularity of each project. In particular we identify and discuss ten key factors for the suitability of energy modelling tools (such as feedback immediacy, responsiveness to design decisions, flexibility to design modification, accuracy and so on). This framework provides a systematic way of analysing how tools features match with design needs. The work presented in this thesis highlights that the selection of suitable calculation methods entails a difficult trade-off. In fact, the effective application of existing calculation methods requires the capacity to cope with conflicting needs in order to find a proper balance for each project. For instance, the detail and the accuracy of the model have to adapt to the information available at each design stage. At the same time, the creation of a detailed model must be compatible with the time limitations of the project and the synchronization of design tasks. Likewise, the model complexity must be congruous with the competences of the design team. All these factors, which are determinant for the choice of the energy calculation methods, are not self-evident. They are comprehensible only if the design process, the context of application, is well understood. The conflicting needs that we have identified provide an explanation for the limited use of energy calculation tools. At the same time, the systematic analysis on the suitability of calculation methods constitutes a conceptual framework that may improve the application of tools. In fact, this systematization is necessary to facilitate the identification of suitable tools for routine design. The proper selection of the calculation methods is essential to extend their use and exploit them in a more fruitful way.

Sustainable Building Design and Engineering is an integrated approach to energy, health, and operational performance. Abu Dhabi, the capital of United Arab Emirates (UAE) is experiencing a phenomenal growth in built environment. In this context, the Abu Dhabi Government has taken initiatives and measures to sustainable building designs development. This research aimed to develop a guideline for the application of performance- based fire-engineering design with sustainable building designs. In addition, it builds a referral information base helping to build sustainable communities, where fire- related fatalities and risks mitigated. Identifying fire safety and sustainability relation, and assessing technical and regulatory challenges with performance-based designs (PBD) in buildings are also part of this study. It also investigated current practices in sustainable building design and fire safety measures applied by Abu Dhabi Civil Defence (ADCD) under the existing construction legislations. The overall results of the study addressed three main areas, namely, sustainability, fire safety, and legality of the construction industry in Abu Dhabi. The data obtained from the case studies, the questionnaire and face-to-face interviews revealed a strong element of misunderstanding regarding the accurate definition of sustainable building design in Abu Dhabi especially among the stakeholders, including the enforcers. This is by pushing towards sustainable design concepts and technologies without taking into consideration the effects on fire safety level from one side and misunderstanding of the local conditions that shape a local definition for building sustainability in Abu Dhabi hot humid climate. Second, the results relating to fire safety measures in Abu Dhabi showed that some factors in the sector of fire safety seemed to affect the accurate application of Performance- Based Design (PBD). These factors were considered as technical and administrative challenges facing the application of PBD and its safety level. Third, the existing local construction legislation and regulations do not support the application of sustainable building design in innovative designs that implementing fire engineering approach. This includes the lack of legislation, disintegration of requirements between building regulators and absence of law enforcement on building owners. The overall findings of this study showed that the application of fire engineering in the innovative sustainable design under the existing construction legislations and culture could have some serious issues to overcome before achieving accepted safety level. In conclusion, there is a common perception that application of sustainable building design can increase fire safety risk. Innovative fire engineering applications compromises on sustainability and vice-versa. A number of similar studies in Abu Dhabi have shown reduction in fire safety on applying performance- based designs. These are challenging issues with the Governments and they are concerned with the local authorities. The building industries in Abu Dhabi need guidelines to find a trade-off between fire safety and sustainability with application of performance based designs.

In today’s Nordic construction industry, it is difficult for new and innovative building solutions to be introduced due to prescriptive and inflexible regulations. Trading products and services cross-border is something that could loosen the tough market, but this is not possible due to the lack of common international frameworks that is performance based with the possibility to perform fire safety engineering. This is something that the Nordic Innovation project group called Fire Safety Engineering for Innovative and Sustainable Building Solutions wants to change. By introducing a new probabilistic method to verify fire safety in buildings, with the intention to become a Nordic standard, so will hopefully parts of these problems be resolved. The fourth work package of the project includes field testing of the new method which this thesis is a part of. The idea is to asses and improve the new probabilistic approach by comparing it to an existing non-probabilistic method and introduce ameliorating recommendations. Comparison of the probabilistic method is performed against a Swedish verification process that’s based on the General recommendations on analytical design of fire safety strategy (BBRAD) by verifying fire safety in a car park, that is located below an office building, with both verification methods. The two performance-based analyses treat deviations from a prescriptive solution, performed with the Boverket’s Building Regulations (BBR), and the results of these verifications is compared. The requirements that is verified are; escape in event of fire, protection against the outbreak of fire, protection against the development and spread of fire and smoke in buildings, protection against spread of fire between buildings, possibility of rescue responses and ensuring fire resistance in the structural members. Fire safety designs and approaches for treatment of the deviations are compared and analysed which concludes in the improvement recommendation that’s been presented.  Questions that has been answered during the work process is: How do the methods treat the possibility of a fire safety design without sprinkler? What is the main difference between the two verification methods? Which improvements could be done to the new Probabilistic method?  The recommendations of improvement that has been presented is based on the work process of the probabilistic approach and the comparison with the Swedish verification process. Development of the following areas is advocated: Treatment of critical levels for evacuation scenarios  Form a common Nordic statistical database Improved guidance of how to complete the validation analysis The thesis does not include all parts that’s required in a fire safety design but will merely focus on the deviations of the pre-accepted solution. The verification is only performed on the car park, i.e. the office part of the building is not included.
I dagens nordiska byggbransch är det svårt för nya och innovativa byggnadslösningar att införas på grund av de preskriptiva och fyrkantiga regelverk som finns. Handel av produkter och tjänster över gränserna är något som kan luckra upp den tuffa marknaden, men det är svårt på grund av bristen utav gemensamma internationella regelverk som är funktionsbaserade med möjlighet till fire safety engeinnering. Det är något som ett nordiskt innovationsprojekt kallat Fire Safety Engineering for Innovative and Sustainable Building Solutions vill förändra. Genom att införa en ny probabilistisk metod för att verifiera brandsäkerheten i byggnader, med avsikten att skapa en nordisk standard, kan förhoppningsvis delar av dessa problem lösas. Det fjärde arbetspaketet inom projektet består av att testa den nya metoden, vilket denna avhandling är en del av. Tanken är att bedöma och ta fram förbättringsförslag till den nya probabilistiska metoden genom att jämföra den med en befintlig scenariobaserad metod och presentera förbättringsrekommendationer. Jämförelse av probabilistiska metoden utförs mot en svensk verifieringsprocess som baseras på Boverkets allmänna råd om analytisk dimensionering av byggnaders brandskydd (BBRAD) genom att verifiera brandsäkerheten i ett parkeringsgarage, som ligger under en kontorsbyggnad, med båda verifieringsmetoderna. De två funktionsbaserade analyserna behandlar avvikelser från en förenklad dimensionering, som är utförd enligt Boverkets Byggregler (BBR), och resultaten av dessa verifikationer jämförs. De krav som verifieras är; utrymning i händelse av brand, skydd mot uppkomst av brand, skydd mot utveckling och spridning av brand och rök i byggnader, skydd mot brandspridning mellan byggnader, möjlighet till räddningsinsats och att säkerställa bärförmåga vid brand. Brandskyddets utformning och metodernas behandling av avvikelserna jämförs och analyseras vilket konkluderar i de rekommendationer för förbättring som presenteras. Frågor som har besvarats under arbetsprocessen är: Hur behandlar metoderna möjligheten att dimensionera brandsäkerheten utan sprinklersystem? Vad är den stora skillnaden mellan de två verifieringsmetoderna? Vilka förbättringar kan göras på den nya probabilistiska metoden? Rekommendationerna till förbättring som har tagits fram är baserad på arbetsprocessen i den probabilistiska metoden och jämförelsen med den svenska verifieringsprocessen. Utveckling av följande områden förespråkas: Behandling av kritiska nivåer i utrymningsscenarion Uppställning av en gemensam statistiskdatabas för de nordiska länderna Förbättrad förklaring om hur man utför valideringarna av analysen Avhandlingen omfattar inte alla delar som behövs vid bandskyddsprojektering utan fokusera endast på avvikelserna från den förenklade dimensioneringen. Verifikationen är endast utförd på parkeringsgaraget, det vill säga kontorsdelen av byggnaden behandlas inte.
Fire Safety Engineering for Innovative and Sustainable Building Solutions

The catastrophic damage to the infrastructure due to the most recent major earthquakes around the world demonstrated the seismic vulnerability of many existing reinforced concrete buildings. Accordingly, this thesis is focused on a proposed seismic retrofitting system (PSRS) configured to upgrade the performance of seismically vulnerable reinforced concrete buildings. The proposed system is composed of a rigid steel frame with chevron braces and a conventional energy dissipating shear link. The retrofitting system is installed within the bays of a reinforced concrete building frame. A retrofitting design procedure using the proposed seismic retrofitting system is also developed as part of this study. The developed design methodology is based on performance-based design procedure. The retrofitting design procedure is configured to provide a uniform dissipation of earthquake input energy along the height of the reinforced concrete building. The PSRS and a conventional retrofitting system using squat infill shear panels are applied to an existing school and an office building. Nonlinear time history analyses of the buildings in the original and retrofitted conditions are conducted to assess the efficiency of the PSRS. The analyses results revealed that the PSRS can efficiently alleviate the detrimental effects of earthquakes on the buildings. The building retrofitted with PSRS has a more stable lateral force-deformation behavior with enhanced energy dissipation capability than that of the one retrofitted with squat infill shear panels. For small intensity ground motions, the maximum inter-story drift of the building retrofitted with the PSRS is comparable to that of the one retrofitted with squat infill shear panels. But for moderate to high intensity ground motions, the maximum inter-story drift of the building retrofitted with the PSRS is considerably smaller than that of the one retrofitted with squat infill shear panels.

Thesis (M.S.)--Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Keywords: structural engineering; fire safety; framework approach; performance-based design; information management; finite element; lumped-parameter; laboratory tests; steel; beam; restrained; plastic analysis. Includes bibliographical references (p. 180-182).

In Sweden, buildings are not designed to withstand earthquakes due to the rarity of an earthquake event and its consequential damage. However, the aim of this thesis was to study the seismic performance of some of the highest buildings in Stockholm, called Innovationen and Helix. The purpose of the study was to get an understanding of earthquake engineering for high rise buildings and to compare the behavior of the two towers during seismic action. In order to compare the two buildings and get an understanding of what will affect the seismic performance, Eurocode 8 was used. The Eurocode standard lists several properties that impacts the seismic resistance of buildings. One of the goals was to study how those factors influence the behavior of Innovationen and Helix and finally compare the results to each other in order to draw valid conclusions. The method to perform the analysis was a modal analysis using a finite element analysis program. The program used contains predefined response spectra’s based on Eurocode 8 which is used to define the seismic load acting on the structures. The extracted results are listed below: - Frequencies and mode shapes - Modal masses - Level and total masses - Accelerations - Displacements The conclusion of the study was that Innovationen and Helix have similar properties and some points from Eurocode 8 were better fulfilled by Helix and others by Innovationen: - Uniformity, symmetry and redundancy (Innovationen fulfills the requirements better than Helix) - Bi-directional resistance and stiffness (Innovationen fulfills the requirements better than Helix) - Torsional resistance and stiffness (Helix fulfills the requirements better than Innovationen) - Adequate foundation (Helix fulfills the requirements better than Innovationen) Of the two parameters studied, the height was the one with the most influence on seismic resistance.

A l'heure où le secteur de la construction connaît une profonde transformation portée par des préoccupations énergétiques et environnementales, les solutions de conception proposées pour répondre à ces objectifs ne doivent pas compromettre la qualité de l’air intérieur (QAI). Malgré les risques majeurs de santé publique liés à celle-ci, des outils manquent aux acteurs de la conception pour juger de la performance des solutions de conception proposées en terme de QAI. Cette thèse vise à répondre à cet enjeu en proposant une méthodologie d’évaluation cohérente et intégrée des performances sanitaires, énergétiques et environnementales des solutions de conception. L'Analyse du Cycle de Vie (ACV) a été identifiée comme pertinente pour intégrer dans un cadre méthodologique normé l’évaluation de la QAI à celle de la performance énergétique et environnementale à travers des métriques d’impacts communes.Afin de considérer au mieux les impacts générés par la pollution de l’air intérieur et les consommations énergétiques en phase opérationnelle du bâtiment, nous avons développé un modèle numérique couplant les transferts de chaleur et de masse dans l’enveloppe du bâtiment. Ce modèle permet d’évaluer l’émission des polluants depuis les matériaux de construction (inventaire) jusqu’à leur devenir dans les environnements intérieurs (transport) en fonction de la température. L’intégration de ce modèle à la méthodologie d’ACV nous a permis de quantifier l’impact de différents matériaux de construction sur l’environnement intérieur et extérieur du bâtiment et de les mettre en regard avec les impacts générés lors de leur production et fin de vie respective. Les résultats obtenus nous ont montré la sensibilité de ce modèle aux paramètres comportementaux.L’occupant a un rôle majeur dans la problématique de la QAI et sa prise en compte est un élément clé afin de quantifier l’exposition des occupants aux polluants intérieurs avec moins d’incertitudes. Nous avons développé un modèle agent simulant le comportement humain au sein des bâtiments résidentiels à l’aide d’une architecture cognitive avancée intégrant à la fois le comportement délibératif et social des occupants. Le couplage du modèle de transport des polluants et du modèle-agent de comportement humain nous a permis d’explorer au travers d’un cas d’étude dans quelle mesure l’exposition à la pollution intérieur est sensible au mode de vie des occupants et le comportement des occupants influe sur le devenir des polluants dans les environnements intérieurs. Ceci constitue une étape préliminaire pour estimer un intervalle de confiance des résultats de simulations, ouvrant ainsi la voie à un processus de garantie de performance en terme de QAI
The construction sector is undergoing a profound transformation driven by energy and environmental concerns. The design solutions proposed to meet these objectives must not compromise indoor air quality (IAQ). Despite the major public health risks associated with this issue, design actors lack tools to assess the performance of the design solutions in terms of IAQ. This thesis aims to address this challenge by proposing a consistent and integrated methodology for evaluating the health, energy and environmental performance of building design solutions. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been identified as a relevant methodology for integrating into a standardised methodological framework the evaluation of the building performance in terms of IAQ, energy and environment through common impact metrics.In order to better characterise the impacts generated by indoor air pollution and energy consumption during the operational phase of the building, we developed a numerical model coupling heat and mass transfers in the building envelope. This model evaluates the emission of pollutants from building materials (inventory) until their fate in indoor environments (transport) as a function of the temperature. The integration of this model into the LCA allowed us to quantify the impact of different construction materials on the indoor and outdoor environment of the building and to compare them with the impacts generated during their production and end of life phase. The results obtained show the sensitivity of this model to behaviour-driven parameters.The occupant has a major role in the problem of IAQ and its consideration is a key element to quantify occupants’ exposure to indoor pollutants with fewer uncertainties. We developed an agent-based model simulating human behaviour within residential buildings using an advanced cognitive architecture that integrates both the deliberative and social behaviour of occupants. By coupling the pollutant transport model with the human behavioural agent model, we explored to which extent the exposure to indoor pollution is sensitive to the occupants' lifestyle and the occupants' behaviour influences the fate of pollutants in indoor environments. This is a preliminary step in estimating a confidence interval of the simulation results, paving the way for a performance guarantee process in terms of IAQ

This thesis relates to a number of connected initiatives, which over a 20 plus year period assisted design professionals to transfer building energy and environmental simulation technologies from the domain of specialists to routine use in practice. It is written in the context of worldwide concerns relating to climate change, energy profligacy and depleting reserves of finite resources, from fossil fuels to materials, and associated legislative measures relating to the environmental impact of the construction industry. The research conjectured and tested mechanisms, including performance assessment methods, quality assurance procedures and knowledge transfer, in order to encourage and support the uptake of simulation in design practice and to progress the embedding of the technology as a routine design process activity in Scottish energy sector and construction businesses. By assisting the uptake of simulation within the professions, the reported work has allowed construction sector businesses to transform existing work practices and in the process to make a significant, measurable contribution to carbon reduction targets over the last 20 years. Moreover, the work illustrates how the creation of support networks and an integrated, partnership approach between academia and practice can break down barriers to use in practices and increase the effectiveness of the transfer of new technologies resulting in cumulative positive environmental impacts that go significantly beyond the benefits of individual interventions. This conclusion is borne out by independent monitoring of the reported activities.

This study focuses on the hygrothermal performance of Moso bamboo. The knowledge in this aspect is remarkable important for the research of building energy saving and the low carbon building design. However, the detailed hygrothermal properties of Moso bamboo are fairly rare. To obtain these data, a series of experimental works have been done for measurement of density, porosity, thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity, water vapour permeability, hygrothermal expansion and sorption isotherm of Moso bamboo. To obtain further understanding on the hygrothermal performance of Moso bamboo, a number of dynamic heat and moisture transfer experiments were conducted. These experiments simulated two extreme outdoor environments and one indoor environment. The temperature and RH responses of Moso bamboo panels were monitored. Then a coupled transient heat and moisture transfer numerical simulation at the material level was conducted to predict and validate the hygrothermal performance of Moso bamboo. A sensitivity study of the hygrothermal properties of bamboo was also presented to indentify the influence of each hygrothermal property of Moso bamboo. Major findings include the following aspects. Both experiment and simulation results appear to be consistent with the results of measurements of the basic hygrothermal parameters. The parametric study found that density can be regarded as the most sensible parameter to influence the temperature simulation results at the transient state, while the thermal conductivity dominated the temperature variation at the steady state. The water vapour diffusion resistance factor can be regarded as the most critical parameter to influence the RH simulation results. The influence of liquid water diffusivity is negligible in this study. The parametric study results indicated that the simulation with moisture is more accurate than the simulation without moisture in both equilibrium and transient state. The results also imply that the existence of moisture could increase the heat capacity and reduce the thermal conductivity. The results of this study recommend that the external part of the bamboo culm wall can be utilised to minimise the RH variation of the panel while the internal part of the bamboo culm wall is suitable to increase the thermal insulation performance of the panel. To avoid hygroexpansion, the implementation of external part of bamboo culm wall needs to be minimised.

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Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)
The estimated housing deficit in Brazil was 5.6 million in 2008, in which 83.5% was in urban areas, wherein to meet such demand there is a need for industrialized construction. Prefabricated building systems with precast panels for residential buildings were largely applied in Europe after the Second World War and it has been applied recently in countries of Latin America and Asia. Although construction companies have been using building systems with precast panels for affordable housing in Brazil since the 80´s, the absence of a prescriptive code of practice for design of precast panels demands certification for each system, which needs to meet the performance requirements according to ABNT-NBR 15575:2013. In order to increase the application of prefabricated systems a new Brazilian Code of Practice for Precast Panels, based on international codes, has been concluded and it is now waiting for final approval. In order to achieve optimum performance, constructability and sustainability of the building project there is a need for integration between architectural and structural designs, as well the interaction between product and production, starting from product development based on the analysis of added value for each project until the rationalization of the processes. The level of prefabrication depends on the number and repetition of units. The aim of this research is to identify and define design guidelines based on performance for building systems with precast concrete panels for residential buildings. The literature revision was carried out starting from international references and codes until the study of the Brazilian codes of practice, including the new code for precast concrete panels. In addition, the research presents the main types of panels and typologies for residential buildings with potential to be applied in Brazil. Finally, an example of performance based design for precast concrete panels is presented with some discussions. This study demonstrate that architects and structural engineers can now design building systems with precast panels based on the new codes of practice and numeric simulations without the need of further tests for certification.
O déficit habitacional no Brasil era de 5,6 milhões em 2008, sendo 83,5% na área urbana, onde para atender esta demanda seria necessário o emprego da construção industrializada. Sistemas construtivos com painéis pré-moldados para residências foram amplamente aplicados na Europa após a Segunda Guerra Mundial, e também têm sido aplicados recentemente em países da América Latina e Ásia. Embora construtoras venham utilizando sistemas com painéis pré-moldados para habitações no Brasil desde a década de 80, a falta de normas prescritivas para projeto em painéis demanda certificações para cada sistema, que precisam atender aos requisitos de desempenho conforme a ABNT NBR 15575:2013. Com o objetivo de aumentar a aplicação de sistemas pré-fabricados, uma nova norma de prescrições brasileira, baseada em referências técnicas e normativas internacionais, foi concluída e aguarda sua aprovação final. Somente com integração entre os projetos das diferentes disciplinas é possível obter uma otimização de desempenho, construtibilidade e sustentabilidade da edificação, mas também deve haver a interação de projeto enquanto produto e produção, partindo do desenvolvimento do produto, com análise do valor agregado para cada solução de projeto até a racionalização do processo de produção, onde o nível de pré-fabricação depende do número e repetição das unidades a serem empreendidas. O objetivo desta pesquisa é identificar e sistematizar diretrizes de projeto com base no desempenho para sistemas construtivos em painéis pré-moldados de concreto, com aplicação em edifícios habitacionais. A revisão da literatura foi desenvolvida a partir das referências e normas internacionais, passando pelo estudo de normas brasileiras, incluindo o projeto de norma de painéis pré-moldados de concreto. Além disso, esta pesquisa apresenta os principais tipos de painéis e principais tipologias com potencial de aplicação para construções residenciais no Brasil. Finalmente, apresenta-se um exemplo de aplicação de avaliação de desempenho com a discussão de alguns resultados. Este estudo demonstra que arquitetos e engenheiros estruturais poderão, com a aprovação da nova normalização brasileira, desenvolver projetos com painéis pré-moldados em concreto com base em prescrições técnicas e simulações numéricas, sem a necessidade de se realizar novos ensaios para certificação para cada nova aplicação de sistemas construtivos pré-fabricados com painéis.

Il controllo predittivo basato su modello (MPC) è una tecnica di controllo avanzata che ha svolto un ruolo importante nella gestione di molti processi nel settore industriale. Oggi, nell’ottica di una gestione energetica efficiente degli edifici, l’utilizzo di questa strategia si sta dimostrando una soluzione promettente per ridurre al minimo i consumi e i costi energetici complessivi. Tuttavia, gli studi sulla sua fattibilità tecnica in edifici esistenti sono ancora in una fase iniziale. Pertanto, il risultato principale di questa tesi è la progettazione e lo sviluppo di un prototipo hardware e software per la verifica sul campo di un sistema di controllo predittivo, basato su modello, integrando un modello predittivo virtuale della porzione dell'edificio in esame, il controllore e l'interfaccia grafica per i dispositivi di monitoraggio e regolazione utilizzati. Inoltre, particolare attenzione è stata posta sulla fattibilità tecnica relativa all'implementazione di un tipico sistema MPC, che include un sottosistema di monitoraggio, un set di acquisizione dati e un metodo di identificazione del sistema per ottenere il modello per il controllore, mediante un approccio di modellazione grey-box. La fase di modellazione e l'approccio empirico sviluppato sono presentati nella prima parte di questa tesi di ricerca, mentre la parte centrale riguarda: lo sviluppo del prototipo di controllo predittivo, basato su modello, all'interno di uno strumento virtuale del software LabVIEW e la descrizione del test sperimentale, effettuato durante la stagione di riscaldamento, garantendo la normale operatività dell’edificio durante l'intero periodo di monitoraggio. Infine, è presentato lo studio sviluppato in ambiente di simulazione per indagare il potenziale della logica di controllo per la valutazione di scenari di riqualificazione. Il focus è sulla definizione dei principali componenti del simulatore MPC e sui risultati ottenuti testando uno degli scenari di intervento.
Model Predictive Control (MPC) is an advanced control technique which has played an important role in the management of many processes in the industry sector. Nowadays, in the perspective of an efficient building energy management, the exploitation of this strategy is proving to be a promising solution for minimising overall energy consumptions and costs. However, investigations on the feasibility of the technique in real existing buildings are at an initial stage. Hence, the main outcome of this dissertation is the design and development of a prototype hardware and software set up for on-field testing of a model-based predictive control system, integrating a virtual predictive model of the portion of the building under investigation, the controller and the interface to the monitoring and regulation devices used. Moreover, this research is addressed to investigate the technical feasibility of the development and deployment of a typical MPC system, which includes a monitoring sub-system, a data acquisition set up and a system identification method to obtain the model for the controller by means of a grey-box modelling approach. The modelling phase and the empirical approach developed are presented in the first part of this research thesis, while the core part concerns: the development of the MPC prototype, within a virtual instrument of LabVIEW software and the description of the experimental test, which was carried out during heating season, ensuring normal building operation during the entire monitoring period. Finally, this dissertation presents the study developed in simulation environment to investigate the potential of the control logic for the evaluation of retrofitting scenarios. The focus is on the definition of the main MPC simulator components and on the results obtained by testing one of the intervention scenarios.

Thesis (M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2003.
Includes bibliographical references (leaf 44).
Current structural design practice is primarily concerned with optimizing the construction cost and schedule of a building project, while ensuring that the structure meets basic safety and serviceability requirements. The maintenance costs, alteration/replacement costs, and end-of-life costs associated with the support of the structure after the initial construction process is given far less consideration. Initial research indicates that, for a typical building, the majority of the cost over the system life cycle is incurred after the original structure has been completed. The ultimate value and longevity of a building is, therefore, largely dependant on the ability of the structure to be economically maintained and easily modified during its service life. The objective of this paper is to outline a design process that considers how buildings interact with time. The process involves two fundamental steps: (1) the modularization of the structure to accommodate how different parts of the building change over time and (2) the design of modular components in consideration of their expected service life. Life cycle cost methods are applied to evaluate the performance of design alternatives-thus making it easier to explicitly consider the cost associated with how a structure will be supported and may be adapted over time, in addition to the customary tasks of calculating construction costs and schedules. Despite the apparent benefits to this approach, there are a number of obstacles preventing the adoption of life cycle design principles into professional practice. Specific obstacles to implementation are discussed with respect to the construction industries in both the United States and Japan. The paper concludes with the description of further case study research to be conducted in the Japan during the summer of 2003, the findings of which will be published as an addendum to this document.
by Forest Lee Flager.
M.Eng.

PERFORMANCE-BASED ANALYSIS OF A REINFORCED CONCRETE SHEAR WALL BUILDING Garrett Richard Hagen In this thesis, a special reinforced concrete shear wall building was designed per ASCE 7-05, and then the performance was investigated using the four analysis procedures outlined in ASCE 41-06. The proposed building was planned as a 6-story office building in San Francisco, CA. The structural system consisted of a two-way flat plate and reinforced concrete columns for gravity loads and slender structural walls for seismic loads. The mathematical building models utilized recommendations from ASCE 41-06 and first-principle mechanics. Moment-curvature analysis and fiber cross-section elements were used in developing the computer models for the nonlinear procedures. The results for the analysis procedures showed that the building met the Basic Safety Objective as defined in ASCE 41-06. The performance levels for the nonlinear procedures showed better building performance than for the linear procedures. This paper addresses previously found data for similar studies which used steel special moment frames, special concentric braced frames, and buckling restrained braced frames for their primary lateral systems. The results showcase expected seismic performance levels for a commercial office building designed in a high seismicity region with varying structural systems and when using different analysis procedures. Keywords: reinforced concrete structural walls, shear walls, performance-based analysis, ETABS, Perform-3D, flat plate, two-way slab.

This study mainly addresses the problem of estimating the prior earthquake damage on the response of reinforced concrete structures to future earthquakes. The motivation has arisen from the heavy damages or collapses that occurred in many reinforced concrete structures following two major earthquakes that recently occurred in the Marmara Region, Turkey. The analysis tool employed for this purpose is the package named IDARC2D. Deterioration parameters of IDARC'
s hysteretic model have been calibrated using a search method. In the calibration process experimental data of a total of twenty-two beam and column specimens, tested under constant and variable amplitude displacement histories, has been used. Fine-tuning of deterioration parameters is essential for more realistic predictions about inelastic behavior and structural damage. In order to provide more realistic damage prediction, three ranges of parameters are proposed. Some damage controlling structural parameters have been assessed via a large number of two-dimensional section analyses, inelastic time history and damage analyses of SDOF systems and seismic vulnerability analyses of reinforced concrete buildings. Inelastic time history and damage analyses of numerous SDOF systems have been carried out to determine whether the loading history has an effect on damage and dissipated hysteretic energy. Then this emphasis is directed to the analyses of MDOF systems. In the analyses of the SDOF systems, various forms of constant and variable amplitude inelastic displacement reversals and synthetic ground motions composed of one of the four earthquake records preceded or followed by its modified records acted as a prior or successive earthquake, have been used. The analyses of two five-story R/C buildings have been caried out using synthetic accelerograms comprised of base input provided by the two recorded ground motions. It is shown that both damage progression and cumulative hysteretic energy dissipated along a path seem to depend on the number and amplitude of cycles constituting the path. However, final damage and accumulated hysteretic energy dissipated along a loading path are independent of the ordering of the same number and amplitude cycles along the path. There is a nonlinear relationship between the earthquake excitation intensity and final damage attained in the end. Increase in the acceleration amplitude leads to exponential increase in damage. As the prior earthquake intensity increases the damage from the succeding main earthquake decreases. A definite ground motion acting as prior and successive earthquake causes substantially different amount of damage. Prior earthquake damage does not substantially affect the maximum drift response in future larger earthquakes. A MDOF frame type structure with aprior damage suffers less overall damage in an earthquake in comparison with the one without a prior damage.

La crescente consapevolezza delle problematiche legate alla sostenibilità ambientale e alla riduzione dei consumi energetici del costruito ha recentemente determinato un cambiamento anche nei processi e nei metodi costruttivi, concentrando l’attenzione di utenti e operatori di settore nei confronti dell’involucro edilizio, individuato quale principale responsabile dell’efficienza energetica e del comfort ambientale interno degli edifici. Parallelamente, gli interessi delle varie discipline coinvolte in tali processi sono stati rivolti tanto alla produzione di architetture sostenibili quanto nei confronti di una nuova generazione di edifici, intelligenti ed efficienti, capaci di interagire con la continua variabilità dell’ambiente circostante e con le esigenze sempre in mutamento dei loro utenti finali, i cosiddetti smart buildings. In tale quadro di riferimento, gli infissi, e, più in generale, i componenti trasparenti di involucro, rimangono i principali responsabili del comportamento termo-ambientale dell’edificio nei confronti dell’ambiente esterno (è stato stimato che le finestre sono responsabili di circa il 60% del totale consumo di energia di un edificio). Da queste considerazioni discende dunque la volontà di concentrare l’attenzione della presente ricerca nei confronti dei componenti trasparenti di involucro, in virtù delle opportunità offerte dalla ricerca in questo campo per via di limiti ancora esistenti legati al loro ruolo specifico all’interno dei sistemi di involucro. È evidente infatti come essi costituiscano ancora i componenti che necessitano della maggiore implementazione in termini di prestazioni – presentando criticità che tuttora non riescono ad essere risolte contando unicamente sulle caratteristiche intrinseche del materiale che li compone, il vetro appunto – ma che, allo stesso tempo, presentano un grande potenziale, dovuto alla loro capacità di reagire e interagire con gli stimoli esterni. L’obbiettivo principale del presente lavoro pertanto, è quello di compensare l’assenza di linee orientative per l’integrazione dei suddetti componenti all’interno dei sistemi di involucro, in modo da massimizzarne le prestazioni. A valle di un’analisi nel dominio dei cosiddetti smart buildings, quale ultima frontiera della ricerca architettonica e tecnologica contemporanea – strutturatasi in un database per la loro caratterizzazione sistematica – la tesi esplora il ruolo svolto dai componenti trasparenti di involucro nell’ambito di sistemi edilizi complessi, classificando le tecnologie esistenti e fornendo una metodologia per la valutazione comparata di prodotti differenti, al fine di valutarne la potenziale integrabilità. Scopo finale della ricerca è la messa a punto di uno strumento di supporto decisionale rivolto all’informazione e creazione di nuove possibilità progettuali di sistemi di involucro intelligenti, comprendendo il ruolo e le potenzialità che i componenti trasparenti di involucro rivestono all’interno di questo specifico dominio. Tale strumento si compone in realtà di tre elementi separati: i) una balanced scorecard, ii) una matrice di valutazione (assement matrix) e quello che viene qui definito come iii) “configuratore di smart windows”, vero e proprio risultato applicativo del presente lavoro. Tale configuratore è stato concepito come una sorta di matrice aperta per la compilazione e la quantificazione di diverse opzioni tecniche e prestazionali relative alle diverse tecnologie investigate, al fine di fornire un supporto decisionale verso un’integrazione consapevole ed efficace dei componenti trasparenti all'interno di sistemi di involucro edilizio complessi, colmando il divario rispetto alla pratica corrente e supportando eventuali future attività di ricerca e sviluppo.
The growing awareness about issues related to environmental sustainability and energy consumption reduction of the built environment has led to a shift in building process and technologies. In this framework, the greater attention is addressed towards building envelope as major responsible for building energy efficiency so as for the internal environmental comfort of end-users. Besides, interests of various disciplines have been directed not only to the production of sustainable architectures but even towards a new generation of energy-efficient, interactive buildings, defined smart buildings, capable of reacting to the continuous variability of the surroundings and the ever-changing needs of end-users. In the context here depicted, fenestration systems have been identified as one of the major responsible for buildings’ behaviour towards the external environment (it has been appraised that windows are accountable for about the 60% of the whole building energy consumption). From these considerations descend the choice to deal with glazed components, under the opportunities research offers in this field due to still existing shortcomings related to the specific role they play within building envelope systems. Indeed, it is evident that fact that glass is still the building component that needs of the most implementation in terms of performance – presenting issues that cannot be resolved only resorting to materials’ innovation – but that is, at the same time, a material with great potential, due to its intrinsic ability in reacting to external stimuli. Therefore, the main objective of the present research is to provide a solution to the existing lack of guidance about how existing glazing technologies could be profitably integrated into buildings in a way that maximises their performance. So, after investigating the world of the smart building envelopes, as the latest goal of contemporary architectural and technological research – developing a characterization of them through the creation of a supporting database of smart architecture – the present work exploring the role that transparent building components play in this framework, classifying existing glazing technologies and providing a systematic methodology to assess their building integration potential. The final aim of this research was to design a decision support tool(box) for architects, to inform and create new design possibilities, providing an insight into the application and design of smart building envelope systems and understanding role and potentialities of transparent building components within this specific framework. Such toolbox is composed of three separated tools: i) a balanced scorecard, ii) an assessment matrix and iii) the smart windows configurator, final achievement of the dissertation. It is conceived as a sort of open matrix for compiling and quantify options for decision making support towards the conscious and effective integration of transparent building components within advanced and innovative building envelope systems, bridging the gap from current practice thus supporting further research and development activities.

The successful energy design of buildings requires that special attention be paid to the conceptual stage. However, it is a difficult task to find the most promising design alternatives satisfying several conflicting criteria. This thesis presents a simple multi-criteria decisions analysis method that could assist designers in green building design. Variables in the model include those alternatives that are common options when a residential building is to be constructed. The individual components that are considered are the building envelope, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, service water heating, power and lighting. The key actors, objectives and methodology of multi-criteria decisions analysis are presented and finally a case study for a residential building in Athens is performed. The criteria by which to evaluate each building component of the newly built construction were identified by the decision-makers. Subsequently, decision frameworks for the selection of roof, walls, windows, heating system, energy source for heating system, power source, lighting and service water heating system were built. The method is followed step-by-step to conclude on the optimal building components based on their score. Due to the equal scoring of the windows and an inapplicable combination of electric underfloor heating with air-to-water heat pump, the method is characterized by low accuracy. The fact that the building components have been treated individually sets the method as a basic one and indicates that a more complex one should be preferred when more trustworthy results are needed.

Healthcare facilities are dynamic, long-term investments that must be able to respond to change in order to avoid obsolescence. Flexibility is a response used in healthcare facility design and construction to counter uncertainties, such as changing medical technologies, medical science and regulations. Flexible infrastructure design offers healthcare facilities the opportunity to combat obsolescence stemming from uncertainties. Interstitial Building Space (IBS) is one of many flexible infrastructure design options that assists with both mid-range and long-term flexibility. IBS is an unfinished and unoccupied horizontal space between a building's floors, fully accessible to people for the purpose of service and maintenance. The advent of Evidence Based Design (EBD) introduced a new dimension to the already dynamic healthcare facility. "EBD represents a body of science that links elements of the built environment with patient, staff and resource outcomes" (Malone et al. 2007 p.5). The incorporation of EBD increases the complexity for the design and construction of healthcare facilities. A framework was developed that articulates the dependent relationships between flexibility, IBS and EBD. The framework is comprised of three key elements: 1) a comprehensive "IBS Spectrum of Benefits" matrix resulting from a systematic literature review 2) a "Flexibility-EBD Conceptual Model" illustrating the relationship between flexibility and EBD, while identifying a continuum of flexibility enabled by this relationship; and 3) a "IBS-EBD Component Mapping Framework" articulating direct matches between the "IBS Spectrum of Benefits" and EBD components. The framework and the key elements within provide a foundational resource for stakeholders and researchers alike, navigating the interrelated intricacies associated with flexibility, EBD and IBS.
Master of Science
Healthcare facilities are dynamic, long-term investments that must be able to respond to change in order to avoid obsolescence. Flexibility is one response which enables facilities to combat changes and/ or uncertainties. This thesis explores the relationships between flexibility, Interstitial Building Space and Evidence Based Design, documents each relationship, and depicts their interrelated nature with the establishment of an overarching framework.

This thesis attempts to determine if misconception about vapor retarders and air barrier systems affects building enclosure design and construction. Literature on this subject is continually evolving and often contradictory, supporting confusion. A survey of designers and builders representing four climate zones within the United States was done. Respondents disclosed where they learned about building enclosures and shared how clear or confusing they think the resources are on this subject and also weighed in on a few basic principles about enclosure design. Results show that most building professionals learn about enclosures through experience or a colleague. The internet is the first written resource they use when questions arise. The most significant misconceptions identified are that in some cases vapor retarder placement does not follow accepted building science or code requirements and that a portion of respondents only consider the air barrier system the vertical surfaces of an enclosure.

Building fire safety is significantly influenced by building and fire safety regulations (often codes and standards). These regulations specify what fire safety measures should be included in a given building as a minimum requirement. Since fire engineers develop fire safety designs based on the regulations, they are often viewed as the primary agents in ensuring the fire safety of buildings. However, their mission often starts with given building design features, such as interior spatial layout, exterior shape, site plan, and so forth, which are mostly determined by architects (or architects). Although architects design buildings within the boundaries of the regulatory requirements, their focus is not generally on fire safety, but more on visual and spatial aesthetics of buildings. These objectives are linked to building form and functionality, which are not subject to the building and fire safety regulations. These objectives can sometimes compete with fire safety objectives in such a way that buildings can be unsafe in certain situations due to unintended effects of building design features on actual fire safety performance. To determine whether a building has design features which work against fire safety performance, evaluation of building fire safety performance must take into account the effects of building design features. If fire safety performance is significantly decreased by building design attributes, additional fire safety measures or modifications of the building design should be incorporated to provide an appropriate level of fire safety performance. While there have been various building fire safety evaluation tools developed over the last forty or so years, none of them comprehensively considers building design features and their associated effects as key performance parameters. In this context, the current study develops conceptual models for fire safety performance assessment in both qualitative and quantitative manners. After scrutinizing previous fire incidents and the building features which contributed to their outcomes, various fire safety performance attributes, including building design features, are identified and cause-effect relationships among the attributes are established. Then, the attributes are organized hierarchically like a tree diagram such that the performance of one upper level attribute is determined by the combined performance of multiple lower level attributes. In this way, the performance of bottom level attributes propagates upward to the upper level attributes. Two tree diagrams are established for the most common fire safety objectives, life safety and property protection. Each attribute in the tree diagrams has two quantified values: performance value and weighting factor. The current study uses three different performance values (0.01, 0.5, and 1) for bottom level attributes representing poor, average and good performance, respectively. In addition, as each attribute can have different contribution to upper level attributes, a weighting factor between 0 and 1 is assigned to each attribute which represent the relative importance. With these two values, the performance value of an upper level attribute is calculated using the weighted sum method (summation of multiplied values of performance value and weighting factor) which is commonly used in the Analytical Hierarchy Process. As the performance of an attributes is a function of specific designs, building uses, occupants, and site conditions, in the first instance, judgments of the fire engineers can be used to assign weights and performance values, but they can also be determined jointly among stakeholders. Generally speaking, the details of attributes for fire safety performance are not determined at once. Rather they are gradually determined as the building design progresses. This means that in early design building design phase, many of the attributes are unknown as well as fire safety performance. Once appropriate information can be provided to architects by fire engineers at each building design phase, it is likely to avoid possible conflicts between design details and fire safety performance. Using the fire safety evaluation model, weak attributes for fire safety performance can be identified and possible make-up strategy and building design approach can be developed in advance. This provides the potential for the collaboration between fire engineers and architects and at the end for increasing building fire safety performance of buildings.

Facades mounted on the exterior of buildings protect the interior from aggressive environments, besides contributing to their aesthetics and technical performance. Unfortunately, despite some serious facade failures involving some deaths and injuries, their inspection and maintenance, which are essential for public safety, have been generally ignored. On July 16, 2009, a large concrete facade element, weighing 320 kg, detached from the building structure of a Montreal hotel and fell on its exterior sidewalk cafe, instantaneously killing a young woman celebrating her birthday and injuring her husband. Some major U.S. cities, such as New York, Chicago and Boston have learnt from such tragedies, and nine American cities have enacted by-laws or ordnances requiring mandatory periodic facade inspections to ensure public safety. However, Canadian cities do not have similar stringent regulations to guide design, construction, maintenance and life-cycle performance of facades to ensure their safety over service life. The National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) includes safety provisions for building components which implement environmental separation; however, the NBCC and other relevant CSA standards do not deal adequately with the maintenance, performance and durability issues related to the performance of these facades. This research program is an attempt to develop and recommend strategies to minimize these risks through mandatory inspection and maintenance programs, and to eliminate similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
Façades montés sur l'extérieur de bâtiments à protéger l'intérieur d'environnements agressifs, en plus de contribuer à leur esthétique et performances techniques. Malheureusement, malgré quelques ratés façade graves impliquant des morts et des blessés, leur inspection et d'entretien, qui sont essentiels pour la sécurité du public, ont été généralement ignorée. Le 16 Juillet 2009, un élément de façade en béton grand, pesant 320 kg, détaché de la structure du bâtiment d'un hôtel de Montréal et est tombé sur son café sur le trottoir extérieur, tuant instantanément une jeune femme fête son anniversaire et blessé son mari. Certaines grandes villes américaines, comme New York, Chicago et Boston ont appris de telles tragédies, et neuf villes américaines ont adopté des lois ou des munitions qui nécessitent des inspections obligatoires périodiques façade pour assurer la sécurité du public. Toutefois, les villes canadiennes n'ont pas similaires réglementations strictes pour guider les performances conception, la construction, l'entretien et du cycle de vie des façades pour assurer leur sécurité pendant la durée de vie. Le Code national du bâtiment du Canada (CNBC) comporte des dispositions de sécurité pour les éléments de construction qui mettent en œuvre la séparation de l'environnement, mais les normes du CNB et autres pertinentes de la CSA ne traite pas de manière adéquate les questions de maintenance, de performance et de durabilité liés à l'exécution de ces façades. Ce programme de recherche est une tentative d'élaborer et de recommander des stratégies pour minimiser ces risques par l'inspection obligatoire et des programmes de maintenance, et d'éliminer les tragédies semblables ne se reproduisent à l'avenir.