Climate and the built environment

Energy Efficiency in Buildings

Workshop

Climate and the Built Environment

Part 1

Mark Jentsch, University of

Southampton 1

www.energy.soton.ac.uk

Climateand the Built EnvironmentPart 1 – Background & Issues

Oman Energy Efficiency in Buildings Workshop, 15/10/2011

Dr Mark JentschSustainable Energy Research Group, University of Southampton, UK

1Climate and buildingswww.energy.soton.ac.uk


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Köppen-Geiger Climate Classification System

Would you use the same building design solutions in Oman, Europe and China?

� provide shelter against the elements

� provide safety

� provide comfortable indoor conditions (thermal, visual, air quality, noise etc.)

� meet social expectations (social standards, representation, work task etc.)

Architecture as a result of our needs

Strong impact on operational

energy consumption

Basic requirements for Buildings


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Adapting to differences in the environment requires inventiveness

Without inventiveness humans would not be able to survive in most climates we live today.

The Natural Environment

Human inventiveness for comfort and shelter

A very long time ago …

Comfort and Shelter


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Comfort and Shelter

Still a very long time ago …

Human inventiveness for comfort and shelter

A – Design factors related to the human feeling of comfort

solar radiation, light levels / glare, temperature, change in temperature, rainfall, humidity, air quality / movement

B – Design factors influencing the construction

earthquakes, storms, floods, biological pests, high solar radiation, high humidity and condensation, salt levels in air

Climate and Architecture

Influence of geographical conditions on building design


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� Prevailing climate conditions

� Material availability

� Food production & availability

� Technical / construction know-how

� Culture / social system / societal conventions

Key factors for the appearance of vernacular buildings

Vernacular Architecture

Architectural design related to the environmental conditions


=Climatic Design

Climatic Design≠


Due to the regional differences in climate traditional forms of architecture all over the world are adapted to their specific exterior conditions in order to:

� provide the desired comfort

� be energy efficient

� withstand the climate


Architectural design as answer to the climatic conditions


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Vernacular Architecture Example – traditional Thai house


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Vernacular Architecture Example – traditional buildings in Yemen

Modern Architecture and EnergyClimatic design principles have been lost …

Villa Savoye, 1928-1931 – 20th century icon of the modern movement, sustainability catastrophe.


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Henry Galson – First people’s air conditioner, commercially available in 1933

(Willis Haviland Carrier – Inventor of modern air conditioning, 1902)

Modern ArchitectureArchitecture utilising the possibilities of the industrialised world

Model: De La Vergne

rain

evaporative cooling

ventilation

meeting and communication

Concept and FunctionAtria as climate moderator in the traditional Roman house


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The climate moderation function is often reduced in modern atria, in particular in summer.

Dubai

Concept and FunctionModern atria have often lost the function of a climate moderator

Technical building solutions

Idea: Every climatic problem can be solved by application of technology, the design idea comes first

Solution ApproachesModern architectural reaction to the climatic conditions


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Solution ApproachesModern architectural reaction to the climatic conditions

Integrative building solutions

Idea: To adapt to the climatic conditions by observing them first

2Climate change is not newwww.energy.soton.ac.uk


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PaleoclimatologyThe global climate system changes constantly

The Earth’s surface temperature over time

dinosaursend of last ice age

forests on the poles

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

PaleoclimatologyThe global climate system changes constantly

The Earth’s surface temperature over time

2.4 to 6.4 °C

by the end of 21st century under a high emissions scenario

Image source: Wikimedia Commons


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Climate change is not new

Can we adapt today?

Can we adapt in time?

3Global climate changewww.energy.soton.ac.uk


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5 Subsystems of the Global Climate� Atmosphere (the most unstable and rapidly changing)

� Oceans (hydrosphere, high thermal inertia, important for stabilising and regulating the atmospheric variations)

� Snow and ice cover (cryosphere)

� Land surface (litosphere)

� Vegetation cover (biosphere)

Changes to the subsystems can result in changes to the global climate

Image source: Wikimedia Commons, User: Bgr

Simplified Energy Flow in aPlanet with an Earth-Like Atmosphere

30°C

240 W/m²

480 W/m²

240 W/m²

240 W/m²

atmosphere


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Emissions

Land use change

Rising atmospheric greenhouse

gas concentration (CO2 equiv.)

Links in the climate system

Radiative forcing (changes in energy balance)

positive

negative

Diagram source: IPCC AR4, www.ipcc.ch

Emissions

Land use change

Rising atmospheric greenhouse

gas concentration (CO2 equiv.)

Rising atmospheric temperatures

Rising ocean temperatures (logged)

Physical changes in climate

Rising global mean surface temperatures

Rising sea levels

Changes in rainfall variability and seasonality

Changing patterns of natural climate variability

Melting of ice sheets, sea ice & land glaciers

Feedbacks include a possible reduction in the efficiency of the land and oceans to absorb CO2emissions and increased releases of methane.

Local and global feedbacks, e.g. changes in clouds, water content of the atmosphere and the amount of sunlight reflected by sea ice (albedo)

Impacts on physical, biological and human

systems

Radiative forcing (changes in energy balance)

Links in the climate system


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Climate change predictions

� A net ‘positive global radiative forcing’ of between 0.6 W/m² to 2.4 W/m² since 1750

� 0.74 °C average global mean temperature rise over the last 100 years (1906-2005)

IPCC 4th Assessment Report

1 W/m² forcing

60 W light bulb

Surface area: 510,072,000 km²

=> 8.5 billion light bulbs

What can we do?

� do the quick fix

� be inventive

� wait and see

easy & low immediate risk

easy & low immediate risk

difficult & long term return


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4Climate trends as driver for change


Temperature development

Middle East

UK

Thailand


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Middle Easttemperature development

Middle East: Temperature rise of around 1.0 ºC overthe last century.

1870-2009 deviation of annual mean temperature from 1961-1990 baseline

(Data source: Climatic Research Unit, www.cru.uea.ac.uk)

1870-2009 data points in the Middle East (32 points in total)

(Data source: Climatic Research Unit, www.cru.uea.ac.uk)



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� Mediterranean areas 0.2 - 0.5 °C

� Persian Gulf 0.5 - 1.1 °C � Central regions in eastern Iran 1.4 - 1.7 °C

1901-2005 linear trend varies by region:

Data source: Climatic Research Unit, www.cru.uea.ac.ukBottom image gerated with: Panoply viewer, Version 2.9.4


UAE and UK 1977-2007 annual mean temperatures

� Clear rising trend for the UAE

� UAE trend slightly stronger than for the UK

UK data: 1 km grid, UAE data: 6 weather stations (Data source UK data: Met Office, data source UAE data: United Nations FAO)

The problem is potentially far more severe for hot arid climates than for moderate climates.


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Thailand and UK 1977-2007 annual mean temperatures

� Trends are not equal for all parts of the world

� Timeframe plays a role for the trends

Thailand data 50-65 stations (Data source UK data: Met Office, data source Thai data: United Nations FAO)

In the UAE a temperature increase may result in the winter months requiring increased cooling.

UAE and UK 1977-2007 monthly mean temperatures

� UK annual swing of 10 to 15 °C

� UAE annual swing of 15 to 17.5°C

UK data: 5° grid, UAE data: 6 weather stations (Data source UK data: Met Office, data source UAE data: United Nations FAO)


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UAE and UK 1977-2007 monthly mean temperatures

� UK annual swing of 10 to 15 °C

� Thailand annual swing of 5 to 8 °CSmaller monthly variation in Thailand implies smaller vulnerability during the summer months than in the UAE.

UK data: 5° grid, UAE data: 6 weather stations (Data source UK data: Met Office, data source UAE & Thailand data: United Nations FAO)

5Other pressures for energy efficiency



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Human Development Index against Ecological Footprint

Threshold for high human development = 0.8

Human Development Index

� life expectancy

� education

� per-capita gross national income

Earth‘s biocapacity = 2.1 hectares p

er person

Sustainable Society

Image adapted from original on: Wikimedia Commons, User: Travelplanner

Human Development Index against Ecological Footprint

Image source: Wikimedia Commons, User: Travelplanner


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UK fuel import / export ratio [%]

Why Climatic Design of Buildings and Cities?

Data source: Digest of UK energy statistics

Mineral oils + biofuels


Development of global oil production


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� 5.76 million km²

� 133 % of the land surface of the EU

� 68 % of the land surface of Brazil

Biodiesel from palm oil in 2030:

2350 million tonnes of biofuels in 2030 ??


Development of global oil production

Peak Oil ~2010 Peak Gas ~2020 Peak Coal ~2025

If energy consumption is to be reduced then this will need to

happen in urban environments

Urbanisation and energy consumption


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The Metabolism of a City

The Metabolism of a City


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� User

� Buildings

� City

� Supplies

What to Consider for Climatic Design?

Climate and the built environment

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