PRGR-633

Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency in Buildings

Week (02)

Assignment (01)
Design an Energy Efficient Building

Building Parameters
Location: Beirut – Zone 1 – Coastal,

Description: Plan of 20 m width by 15.2 m length, Residential building, 8 Floors, 3.3m floor
height, 2 Apartments per floor, Slab in Basement 30cm thick concrete, not conditioned, (Covered),

Openings: 4 Large Openings at North & South facades (larger at South), 2 Medium Openings at East
& West facades, without any shading, using clear, single pane glass of 6 mm thickness. Their thermal
transmittance (U-factor) is 6.16 W/m2.C and their shading coefficient is 0.95.

Walls Composition: 3 Layers 17cm thick: Plaster Hollow Blocks, Plaster

Roof Composition: 5 Layers 35cm thick: Tiles, Sand, Weatherization, Concrete, Plaster

The proposed building is modelled using Sketch-up modelling program. The openings are drawn to
scale as per given dimensions, as well as the plan dimensions, number of floors and floor height. The
only addition to the given figures is the ground floor columns and base slab.

Below isometrics, show the real volumetric of the proposed building, from both the South-East and
North-West sides.
Building Compliance using TSBL Software:
The first calculation and analysis done are to determine the thermal requirement of the
reference building using the individual component approach of the prescriptive path.
Compliance Check: Ground Floor, Walls, Composed Items (walls)
Building Compliance using TSBL Software: (continued)
Compliance Check: Windows, Roofs, Composed Items (Roofs)

Results: Does Not Comply

Suggested Improvements:
Suggested improvements will include Building Materials, Walls & Roof insulation, Windows
Horizontal Shading elements, and Vertical Overhangs and other options to ensure
compliance with TSBL, and improve the building thermal properties.
Suggested Improvements are summarized as follows:

1. Building Materials, Double Walls: Using Double walls with inside insulation layer, to
enhance the insulation of the internal spaces.

2. Building Materials, External Cladding: Cladding the building facades with high insulation
properties stone using mechanical fixation systems

3. Horizontal Shading Elements for Openings: Installing Horizontal overhangs above

openings.

4. Vertical Shading Elements for Openings: Installing Vertical adjustable Fins/Louvers for
the openings.
Image at left showing the building with the given parameters, Image at right showing the building
with the proposed adjustments/improvements. (Views from South-East sides)

Conclusion:
The first calculations and analysis were done using the given building parameters, including,
walls thickness and finish, windows components and properties, and roof composition
layers.
The first result was the incompliance of the building envelop with the thermal requirement
of the reference building using the individual component approach of the prescriptive path
through the TSBL software (U Envelope Required: 2.57).
Thus, an intervention was essential to implement improvements and adjustments, in order
to improve the building envelop thermal properties and make it in compliance with the
thermal requirement of the reference building using the TSBL requirements.
The Suggested Improvements included: Using double walls, Cladding the external facades,
Installing horizontal overhangs for widows, Installing vertical adjustable fins/louvers,
Improving glazing properties (low-e glass), Reducing openings sizes, Insulating the roof, and
transforming the roof to a Green roof.
As a result, the U Envelope of the building dropped from 4.67 to 1.32 and consequently
became in compliance with the thermal requirement of the reference building using the
TSBL software.
Therefore, we can conclude, that simple architectural interventions and improvements,
affecting the building materials, finishes, glazing, and insulation, can have significant
consequence on the building envelop thermal properties.

- Thank You-