AR154P

BUILDING UTILITIES 2
Building Science and the Impact of Mechanical
and HVAC Cosniderations
 AR154P
BUILDING UTILITIES 2
Building Science
BUILDING UTILITIES 2
• Building Science
• The BUILDING ENVELOPE or building shell includes the
elements that enclose the conditioned (heated and cooled)
space and interface the indoor spaces with the outdoor
environment.
• The building envelope provides shelter from severe weather. It
also plays a major role in sustaining the indoor environment and,
as a result, influences the heating, ventilating and air
conditioning (HVAC) systems in a building.
• Today, the design and construction of a building envelope must
incorporate other characteristics that contribute to high
performance, such as airtightness, thermal insulation, heating
and cooling load reduction, and amount of embodied energy.
• Optimal design of the building envelope increases construction
and design costs.
• The additional cost for a high performance envelope must be
paid for through COST AVOIDANCE achieved by a need for
smaller heating, cooling, ventilating, and lighting equipment and
in reduction of operating and maintenance costs.
 BUILDING UTILITIES 2
• Building Science

• Using this tabulation, we can see that the major concern on cost avoidance in
relation to electrical cost is cooling and lighting
• By orientating our design, with the solar path and natural wind flow, we can
minimize these impacts even if we have engineering solutions to mitigate the
harshness of the environment
BUILDING UTILITIES 2
• Building Science
Building Mass Classification
Heavyweight Construction
– Generally has higher embodied energy
– Improves thermal comfort and reduces operational (heating and cooling) energy
use, when used in conjunction with passive design and good insulation.
– Is most appropriate in climates with high diurnal (day–night) temperature ranges
and significant heating and cooling requirements.
– Requires more substantial foundation systems and causes greater site impact
and disturbance.
– Should be avoided on remote sites where there is a high transport component.
Lightweight Construction
– Generally has lower embodied energy.
– Can yield lower total life cycle energy use, particularly where the diurnal range is
low.
– Responds rapidly to temperature changes and can provide significant benefits in
warmer climates by cooling rapidly at night.
– Is preferred on remote sites with a high materials transportation component.
– Usually requires more heating and cooling energy in cold to warm climates
(where solar access is achievable) when compared to heavyweight construction
with similar levels of insulation and passive design.
– Can have low production impact (e.g., sustainably sourced timber) or high impact
(unsustainably sourced timber or metal frame).
 BUILDING UTILITIES 2
• Building Science

• The movement of heat through a substance or between two substances in

contact with each other is called CONDUCTION.
• RADIATION heat transfer involves movement of energy by electromagnetic
waves.
• Heat transfer by the motion of a heated or cooled mass is called
CONVECTION heat transfer.
 BUILDING UTILITIES 2
• Building Science
– Thermal Comfort

By definition, thermal comfort is a condition of mind that expresses satisfaction

with the thermal environment; it requires subjective evaluation.
ASHRAE considerations:
80% of room occupants do not express discomfort
Determined by:
Air Temperature Radiant Temperature
Humidity Activity Level
Air Movement Clothing Density
 BUILDING UTILITIES 2
• Building Science
– Thermal Comfort

Overall Thermal Comfort in a Space

The combined effects of environmental and individual factors can be represented
on a psychrometric chart. The comfort zone is the combination of temperature
and humidity where people report comfort
BUILDING UTILITIES 2
• Building Science
Thermal Insulation
– provides a region of insulation in which thermal conduction is reduced,
creating a thermal break or thermal barrier, or thermal radiation is
reflected rather than absorbed by the lower-temperature body.
BUILDING UTILITIES 2
• Building Science
Thermal Insulation
BUILDING UTILITIES 2
• Building Science
Thermal Insulation
BUILDING UTILITIES 2
• Building Science
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
– refers to the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of
air in the interior spaces of a building or facility.
– The quality of indoor air can be influenced by many factors, even
though a building does not have the industrial processes and
operations found in factories and plants.
– A building heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system that is
properly designed, installed, operated, and maintained can
promote indoor air quality. When proper procedures are not
followed, indoor air problems may result.
– Indoor air must satisfy three basic requirements, including
having normal concentrations of respiratory gases,
adequately diluted airborne contaminants, and be thermally
satisfactory.
 BUILDING UTILITIES 2
• Conclusion
– There is a direct correlation between utilities,
comfort and cost.
– Of these three, two (utilities and comfort) may
be managed by a well designed structure
– If done well, cost avoidance will also be
created thereby minimizing problems for our
client owners.