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Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Building

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Dynamic Exergy Analysis For The Thermal Storage Optimization Of The Building Envelope, Valentina Bonetti, Georgios Kokogiannakis Jan 2017

Dynamic Exergy Analysis For The Thermal Storage Optimization Of The Building Envelope, Valentina Bonetti, Georgios Kokogiannakis

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

As a measure of energy "quality", exergy is meaningful for comparing the potential for thermal storage. Systems containing the same amount of energy could have considerably different capabilities in matching a demand profile, and exergy measures this difference. Exergy stored in the envelope of buildings is central in sustainability because the environment could be an unlimited source of energy if its interaction with the envelope is optimised for maintaining the indoor conditions within comfort ranges. Since the occurring phenomena are highly fluctuating, a dynamic exergy analysis is required; however, dynamic exergy modelling is complex and has not hitherto been implemented …


Thermal Comfort Evaluation Of A Mixed-Mode Ventilated Office Building With Advanced Natural Ventilation And Underfloor Air Distribution Systems, Xiang Deng, Georgios Kokogiannakis, Zhenjun Ma, Paul Cooper Jan 2017

Thermal Comfort Evaluation Of A Mixed-Mode Ventilated Office Building With Advanced Natural Ventilation And Underfloor Air Distribution Systems, Xiang Deng, Georgios Kokogiannakis, Zhenjun Ma, Paul Cooper

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

This study uses field monitoring and post occupancy evaluation (POE) surveys to investigate the indoor thermal comfort of an office building that is located in subtropical zone. The building is special as it combines advanced natural ventilation (ANV) strategies and underfloor air distribution (UFAD) systems. A comparison between a static thermal comfort model and a dynamic thermal comfort model is also conducted. The results show that the thermal comfort conditions in the case study building are satisfactory in summer while in winter there is evidence of thermal discomfort. For the case study building, the static thermal comfort model gives outputs …


Development Of A Novel Multi-Layer Mre Isolator For Suppression Of Building Vibrations Under Seismic Events, Jian Yang, Shuaishuai Sun, Tongfei Tian, Weihua Li, Haiping Du, Gursel Alici, Masami Nakano Jan 2016

Development Of A Novel Multi-Layer Mre Isolator For Suppression Of Building Vibrations Under Seismic Events, Jian Yang, Shuaishuai Sun, Tongfei Tian, Weihua Li, Haiping Du, Gursel Alici, Masami Nakano

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Protecting civil engineering structures from uncontrollable events such as earthquakes while maintaining their structural integrity and serviceability is very important; this paper describes the performance of a stiffness softening magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) isolator in a scaled three storey building. In order to construct a closed-loop system, a scaled three storey building was designed and built according to the scaling laws, and then four MRE isolator prototypes were fabricated and utilised to isolate the building from the motion induced by a scaled El Centro earthquake. Fuzzy logic was used to output the current signals to the isolators, based on the real-time …


Building A Microsimulation Model Of Heroin Use Careers In Australia, Alison Ritter, Nagesh Shukla, Marian D. Shanahan, Van Hoang Phuong, Vu Lam Cao, Pascal Perez, Michael P. Farrell Jan 2016

Building A Microsimulation Model Of Heroin Use Careers In Australia, Alison Ritter, Nagesh Shukla, Marian D. Shanahan, Van Hoang Phuong, Vu Lam Cao, Pascal Perez, Michael P. Farrell

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Illicit heroin use is a worldwide problem, with significant health and social costs. Treatment is known to be effective in changing heroin use habits, but it often needs to be provided over a lifetime, with people cycling in and out of treatment. It is therefore important to capture a long-term perspective on heroin use careers. The aim of this project was to build a lifetime microsimulation model of heroin using careers. This paper describes the conceptual logic of the model, the input parameters and the verification and validation results. A microsimulation model was chosen as the most appropriate simulation platform …


Nano-Enhanced Phase Change Materials For Improved Building Performance, Zhenjun Ma, Wenye Lin, Mohammed I. Sohel Jan 2016

Nano-Enhanced Phase Change Materials For Improved Building Performance, Zhenjun Ma, Wenye Lin, Mohammed I. Sohel

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Nano-enhanced phase change materials (PCMs) have attracted increasing attention to address one of the key barriers (i.e. low thermal conductivity) to the wide adoption of PCMs in many industrial applications. This paper discusses the generic problem and key issues associated with appropriately using this new class of materials in buildings for effective thermal management and improved energy performance. An overview on major recent development and application of nano-enhanced PCMs as thermal energy storage media is provided. A case study based on a PCM ceiling ventilation system integrated with solar photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collectors is then performed to evaluate the potential …


Delivering Sustainable Building Projects - Challenges, Reality And Success, Haleh Rasekh, Timothy J. Mccarthy Jan 2016

Delivering Sustainable Building Projects - Challenges, Reality And Success, Haleh Rasekh, Timothy J. Mccarthy

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

This research concerns the delivery of sustainable building projects. These projects are defined as those which either attempt to achieve green ratings or are claimed to address certain sustainability issues. A key focus is to examine how the client's vision for sustainability is achieved or compromised by the practicality of construction. Two sustainability rating systems, the Australian Green Star and the Living Building Challenge from the U.S. are discussed. This research examines two projects; one university multipurpose building (SMART Infrastructure Facility); and an advanced research facility, the Sustainable Buildings Research Centre (SBRC). The methodology used is semi-structured interviews of key …


Building Characterisation And Retrofit Decision Support-Tools For Upgrading Homes Of Low-Income Older Australians, Paul Cooper, Clayton Mcdowell, Michael P. Tibbs, Georgios Kokogiannakis, Laia Ledo Gomis, Stephen C. Choi Jan 2016

Building Characterisation And Retrofit Decision Support-Tools For Upgrading Homes Of Low-Income Older Australians, Paul Cooper, Clayton Mcdowell, Michael P. Tibbs, Georgios Kokogiannakis, Laia Ledo Gomis, Stephen C. Choi

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

This paper describes the development and implementation of a comprehensive methodology to select and implement energy efficiency upgrades to the homes of low-income, older (>60 years) Australians. This work was conducted as part of a project entitled, 'Energy Efficiency in the 3rd Age (EE3A)", which targeted lowincome older residents in the Illawarra Region of NSW, Australia, and was funded by an Australian Federal Government 'Low Income Energy Efficiency Program (LIEEP)' grant for AUD2.3M. The project included a social marketing and behaviour change component engaging ~650 households, and a retrofit program for a subset of ~183 of these homes. Households …


Software Defined Intelligent Building, Rui Xue, Xin Huang, Jie Zhang, Yulin Lu, Ge Wu, Zheng Yan Jan 2015

Software Defined Intelligent Building, Rui Xue, Xin Huang, Jie Zhang, Yulin Lu, Ge Wu, Zheng Yan

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

The networks of intelligent building are usually consist of a great number of smart devices. Since many smart devices only support on-site configuration and upgrade, and communication between devices could be observed and even altered by attackers, efficiency and security are two key concerns in maintaining and managing the devices used in intelligent building networks. In this paper, the authors apply the technology of software defined networking to satisfy the requirement for efficiency in intelligent building networks. More specific, a protocol stack in smart devices that support OpenFlow is designed. In addition, the authors designed the lightweight security mechanism with …


Building A Railway For The 21st Century: Bringing High Speed Rail A Step Closer, Max Michell, Scott Martin, Philip G. Laird Jan 2014

Building A Railway For The 21st Century: Bringing High Speed Rail A Step Closer, Max Michell, Scott Martin, Philip G. Laird

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

High Speed Rail (HSR) operating at maximum speeds of above 250km/h with electric passenger trains are now operational in at least 11 countries. As the feasibility of building an Australian East Coast HSR network between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane is once again being examined, governments at Federal, State and Local levels need to develop complementary transport infrastructure and services to ensure the long-term financial and operational success of HSR. The lengthy time frame currently envisaged for completing the first stage of an Australian East Coast HSR network by 2035 provides a 20-year window for improving and upgrading urban and regional …


Building Workforce Competencies Through Complex Projects, Andrew Sense, Senevi Kiridena Jan 2014

Building Workforce Competencies Through Complex Projects, Andrew Sense, Senevi Kiridena

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

This chapter illuminates the current theories and concepts concerning complexity and the project management workforce competencies necessary to deal with it in projects. It exposes the valuable, yet underutilised, opportunities complex projects may present to develop the knowledge and competencies of a workforce to successfully manage complexity within a project space and across an organisation more generally. The theoretical implications of this analysis imply that more research is necessary to establish a framework of competencies that relate appropriately to the levels of complexity within a project. The practice implications are profound since managing complexity in projects requires a more expansive …


Support For The Integration Of Green Roof Constructions Within Chinese Building Energy Performance Policies, Georgios Kokogiannakis, Jo Darkwa Jan 2014

Support For The Integration Of Green Roof Constructions Within Chinese Building Energy Performance Policies, Georgios Kokogiannakis, Jo Darkwa

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Green roofs could act as a thermal buffer in buildings and offer potential energy savings. However, the energy benefits from green roofs are not usually properly recognised by traditional building energy regulations. Building energy regulations are traditionally over-simplistic during the assessment of the energy performance of complex building constructions. In the case of green roof designs, it is essential that the assessment mechanisms should not ignore the complex heat and moisture balances within the green roof layers. In this paper, dynamic energy modelling that considers the complexity within the green roof layers is adopted to guide policy makers in China …


Tuning Houses Through Building Management Systems, Jose Ripper Kos, Massimo Fiorentini, Paul Cooper, Felipe Miranda Jan 2014

Tuning Houses Through Building Management Systems, Jose Ripper Kos, Massimo Fiorentini, Paul Cooper, Felipe Miranda

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

This paper departs from an analogy of sailing race instruments to demonstrate the potential of automation systems on the house performance and, more important, on impacting households for a more sustainable behavior. Sailing instruments have positively influenced the results on experienced sailors' speed and ultimately have confirmed their observations on nature cycles. We have presented two research projects for the development of Building Management Systems for a house that relies mostly on natural ventilation and thermal mass and another one, based on a complex conditioning system with a solar assited HVAC system, connected to a Phase Change Material thermal storage. …


Integrating Building Information Modelling (Bim) Into Engineering Education: An Exploratory Study Of Industry Perceptions Using Social Network Data, Kriengsak Panuwatwanich, Mei Liang Wong, Jeung-Hwan Doh, Rodney A. Stewart, Timothy J. Mccarthy Jan 2013

Integrating Building Information Modelling (Bim) Into Engineering Education: An Exploratory Study Of Industry Perceptions Using Social Network Data, Kriengsak Panuwatwanich, Mei Liang Wong, Jeung-Hwan Doh, Rodney A. Stewart, Timothy J. Mccarthy

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been widely acknowledged as an emerging technological and procedural shift within the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. BIM represents a methodology to manage the building design and project data in digital format throughout a building lifecycle. With the implementation of BIM, the design, construction and operation processes can be better streamlined to improve project efficiency. Because of its far-reaching benefits, there is a current push for BIM by governments worldwide, including Australia. However, a significant lack of the understanding of BIM and industry readiness has been identified as a major hindrance; hence, there is …


Experimental Investigation Of Cable Catcher Systems For Office Building Blast Protection, Alexander Remennikov, L S. Brodie Jan 2012

Experimental Investigation Of Cable Catcher Systems For Office Building Blast Protection, Alexander Remennikov, L S. Brodie

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

High performance cable catcher systems are an effective means of protecting office building windows and façades from effects of explosive blast. This paper presents experimental results for the response a simple cable catcher system subject to impact loads delivered using a drop-hammer testing facility. The objectives of this experimental programme were to investigate the loaddeformation behaviour of steel strand cables and to evaluate the dynamic performance of cable catcher systems in reference to their ability to absorb blast energy. Two steel cable arrangements (compacted and normal spiral strand) have been tensile tested in order to provide load-deformation curves as well …


Geological And Land Instability Mapping Using A Gis Package As A Building Block For The Development Of A Risk Assessment Procedure, R N. Chowdhury, P N. Flentje Jan 1996

Geological And Land Instability Mapping Using A Gis Package As A Building Block For The Development Of A Risk Assessment Procedure, R N. Chowdhury, P N. Flentje

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

A modern land instability risk assessment procedure must include an accurate geological framework and land instability database. Geological and land instability mapping of the northern suburbs of the City of Wollongong represents a considerable challenge and is to be achieved using computer generated 1:4000 topographic base maps. Using an integrated series of techniques, including computer modelling of the escarpment geology and field mapping techniques, a new series of geological maps has been produced. Meanwhile an exhaustive land instability database of the region has been compiled. A flexible approach to mapping and data compilation is very useful and confirms the viability …