Lecturer(s): Mike Basset

Unit title(s): Environmental Technology 1

Unit code(s): UK108004

Outcomes assessed:

Date issued: 25/01/2016 Date submitted: 10/04/2016

Date due: 10/04/2016 Word-count: 877

Student candidate number:

14002754 Location: Beechwood Campus

Programme: Architectural Technology

Student candidate number:

14002754

Date:

10/04/2016

Date received: Attempt No.: 1 2

Marked by: Result/Grade:

Sampled for IV: Y / N

Declaration of originality and authorization to hold this assessment electronically and verify that it is original:

UHI recognizes that plagiarism, where deliberately engaged in, is unacceptable and is considered serious academic malpractice. Students are responsible for ensuring the work they submit is their own. If you have any queries you should contact your Tutor or Student Adviser before submitting your assessment. By submitting this assessment I declare that the attached piece of work is my own. I have acknowledged all the sources I have consulted and where I have used words which are not my own, I have clearly indicated this in the references.

Research Study Report

Staff use only

1a

Environmental Technology

Research Study

University of the Highlands and Islands

Architectural Technology

Page 1

Abstract This report Researches the challenges that light industrial buildings face with respect to energy

performance of the building fabric and suggests ways for improvement.

Figure 1a – B&Q Building

Figure 1b – New York Infrared

Andrew Maggs Inverness College UHI 14002754

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Page

Introduction 3

Roof lights, Windows and Doors 3

Materials 4

Air Tightness 4

Thermal Bridging 4

U-Values 5

Conclusion 5

References 6

Bibliography 6

Contents

Figure 02

Page 2

Many different aspects affect the energy performance of building fabric in large buildings. I will be looking into

thermal bridging, Materials, Airtightness, roof lights/windows/doors and U-values. Industrial buildings are not

always built with energy performance in mind as lots of them are just to house commercial goods, plant

machinery and even farm equipment. I will also suggest ways of preventing the loss of heat to improve the

buildings U-values.

Introduction

Page 3

Roof lights, Windows and Doors

One problem with having large open spaces is the need for light. Not only do roof lights and windows let in vital daylight but they transmit infrared radiation through the glass which creates heat inside the building. This is called ‘Solar Gain’ and is great as a free heating source and reduces energy costs but measures need to be taken to control that so as to not overheat the building in summer. Another issue with roof lights and windows is that although being great for solar gain they also lose heat a lot quicker during the night so a curtain or blind system would have to be looked into to counteract this. Entrances to the building which are used frequently pose challenges with drafts and cold air breaching the inside if not properly controlled. This can be resolved by either adding air curtains on entrances or adding an extra layer of doors.

Figure 3 – Roof lights Figure 2 – Air Curtain

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One aspect in particular that will pose a challenge is thermal bridging. Steel for example has a much higher thermal conductivity than many other building materials so measures should to be taken to ensure that steel is not in direct contact with the outer skin or run continuously through joints etc. Another issue is discontinuity in the insulation envelope. If there are inconsistencies or obstructions it will create local heat losses and cold bridges which in turn will increase the amount of heat escaping so more energy will be needed to heat the building. Thermal bridging may be caused by:

The shape of the building e.g. at the corners

Gaps in the buildings’ envelope e.g. windows, doors and vents

Poor construction quality e.g. obtrusions in the cavity, gaps in the insulation

Structural junctions e.g. wall to floor and wall to eaves junctions

My proposal will see the addition of a rigid insulation blanket with painted render wrapped

around the entire building. This will considerably reduce thermal bridging and improve the

thermal performance.

Solutions - Original stone wall vs the new stone wall with insulation

Page 4

Materials

Air Tightness

The main materials used in the existing building consist of concrete block, steel structural frame, concrete slab floor and metal sheet roofing. Concrete and metal are good conductors of heat so without careful consideration to insulation and design lots of heat could potentially be lost through the materials themselves. As I will be over cladding the building all around with a blanket of rigid insulation all the materials making up the structure of the building will be within the insulation. This means it will be harder for the cold to penetrate the building thus keeping the inside warm more effectively. Another benefit of this is that once the inside is up to temperature the concrete and steel will store that heat. When the heating is turned off for overnight the materials will gradually let out the heat like a space heater.

Airtightness is the measure of uncontrolled airflow in and out of the building. A large amount of heat can be lost to the outside through poorly designed ventilation and if the building has generally been designed badly or without thinking about the sealing joints. If more focus is put into the air tightness it can offer a great and effective opportunity to drastically reduce the heat loss through the building envelope. With regards to the B&M building being blockwork infill sections, having lots of joints on the repeated portal frame and the sheer scale this will prove challenging to achieve. There are going to be different amounts of activity levels within the building so consideration will have to be taken with regards to each section as the required air changes per hour vary on the activity level. On the right is an example of an airtight window seal, this helps to prevent drafts and controls ventilation effectively.

Figure 9 – Thermal Bridge

Figure 8 – Airtight window seal

Here is an example of a thermal bridge on a floor junction.

Figure 4 – Blockwork Figure 5 – Concrete Floor Figure 6 – Insulated roof sheeting Figure 7 – Steel H beam

Thermal Bridging

U-Values

Page 5

With U-value regulations constantly changing its getting harder and harder to keep up with them. As you can see from the images below, U-values for the existing building are poor. With my proposal the U-values will be brought up above standard to reduce the buildings’ energy consumption and to think ahead for future developments. By raising the insulation levels and improving the buildings’ fabric, temperatures inside can be controlled much easier and will require a lot less energy to do so.

U-Values for Conversions U-Values for Extension Walls – 0.30 Walls – 0.25 Roofs – 0.25 Roofs – 0.15 Floors – 0.25 Floors – 0.2 Windows, doors, roof Windows, doors, roof Windows and roof lights – 1.6 Windows and roof lights – 1.6

There is such a wide scope of challenges to work around as we can see from this study. With careful consideration to each aspect, achieving an energy efficient building is possible and would benefit greatly from lower running costs along with having less impact on the environment.

Conclusion

Sand Hardcore

Figure 11 – Vesma Roof Figure 10 – Vesma Wall Figure 12 – Vesma Floor

Figure 1a - Whiskey Story, (2011), B&Q Building [ONLINE]. Available at: http://whiskystory.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/glen-albyn-distillery-inverness.html [Accessed 03 February 16].

Figure 1b - Delta-T Inspection Group, (2014), New York Infrared [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.deltatinspection.com/ [Accessed 23 March 16].

Figure 2 – TMI International, (2016), Air Curtain [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.tmi-pvc.com/how-air-curtains-work.html [Accessed 23 March 16]. Figure 3 – Newman Industrial Roofing, (2013), Roof lights [ONLINE]. Available at:http://www.newhamroofing.co.uk/roof-light-and-fans.html [Accessed 23 March 16]. Figure 4 - Renders and textures, (2014), Painted Blockwork [ONLINE]. Available at: http://rendersandtextures.com.au/our-crew/ [Accessed 05 February 16].

Figure 5 -Gingin Concrete, (2014), Concrete Floor [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.gingin.net/listing/gingin-concrete/ [Accessed 23 March 16]. Figure 6 - Roofing Services Aberdeen, (2015), Insulated Roof Sheeting [ONLINE]. Available at:http://www.garageroofcompany.com/propertymaintenance.html [Accessed 04 February 16].

Figure 7 – Alibaba.com, (2014), Steel H Beam [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/SUS-Stainless-steel-H-beam-stainless_373574326.html [Accessed 23 March 16]. Figure 8 – The Green Home, (2013), Airtight Window Seal [ONLINE]. Available at:http://thegreenhome.co.uk/building-advice/self-building-airtight-design-explained/ [Accessed 23 March 16].

Figure 9 - The Passive House, (2015), Thermal Bridge [ONLINE]. Available at:http://www.homepower.com/articles/home-efficiency/design-construction/passive-house [Accessed 23 March 16]. Figure 10 - Vesma U-Value Calculator, (2015), Vesma Wall [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.vesma.com/tutorial/uvalue01/uvalue01.htm [Accessed 23 March 16].

Figure 11 - Vesma U-Value Calculator, (2015), Vesma Roof [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.vesma.com/tutorial/uvalue01/uvalue01.htm [Accessed 23 March 16].

Figure 12 - Vesma U-Value Calculator, (2015), Vesma Floor [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.vesma.com/tutorial/uvalue01/uvalue01.htm [Accessed 23 March 16].

Andrew Maggs Inverness College UHI 14002754

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Page 7

Bibliography

References

Page 6

Andrew Maggs Inverness College UHI 14002754

c2es.org. 2015. Building Envelope. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.c2es.org/technology/factsheet/BuildingEnvelope. [Accessed 01 April 16]. wbdg.org. 2015. Sustainable. [ONLINE] Available at:https://www.wbdg.org/design/sustainable.php. [Accessed 01 April 16]. macoun group. 2014. Tynemouth project reaches completion. [ONLINE] Available at: https://macoungroup.wordpress.com/tag/insulation/. [Accessed 01 April 16]. breeam.com. 2014. Breeam UK refubishment. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.breeam.com/ndrefurb2014manual/. [Accessed 01 April 16]. Department of energy and climate change. 2015. Guide to Energy Performance Contracting Best Practices. [ONLINE] Available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/395076/guide_to_energy_performance_contracting_best_practices.pdf. [Accessed 01 April 16] Leeds Metropolitan University. 2013. BUILDING PERFORMANCE: FABRIC, IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS. [ONLINE] Available at: ttp://www.leedsbeckett.ac.u k/as/cebe/sb13hk_building_performance_hong_kong_version_final_ version _22_10_13.pdf. [Accessed 01 April 16]. SteelConstruction.info. 2010. STEEL BUILDINGS IN EUROPE. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.steelconstruction.info/index.php?title=Special:ImagePage&t=SBE+MS1.pdf. [Accessed 01 April 16].