ReaCT 0201 Buildings Overview(1)

ReaCT Unit 6
Introduction to Buildings
Rodger Edwards
Section 2.01:
Introduction to Buildings
In this section, we will gain a basic appreciation

of the nature of buildings and why energy
consumption matters.
Functions
So why do we need buildings anyway?
o Originally to provide shelter
http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1046206
Functions
o Defence Food storage
Functions
Worship
Functions
In the modern era, we divide up buildings into

4 convenient groups:
o Domestic
o Commercial
o Industrial
o Others
Domestic
Best defined as places where people make a

home. (So what is a hotel room?)
The word dwelling is often used.
In the UK, house is often used as a blanket

term for non apartment domestic
buildings
Domestic
These places may be
Single occupancy
One family unit in residence
This covers bungalows and two storey

housing, the bulk of the current housing
stock in the UK
Dwellings
Multiple occupancy
More than one single occupancy unit located

within the same building
This term covers what would be termed as
flats and apartments. These are two or
more storeys in practice
Apartments are becoming more popular in
the UK
Dwellings
Typical apartment block, London
(www.istockphoto.com)
Commercial
There is much diversity of building shape and
construction in the commercial sector.
Some buildings are built especially for a client

( “bespoke” ), others are built in the hope
of finding an occupant ( usually on a
rental basis when constructed
( “speculative” )
Commercial
In practice, many speculative commercial

buildings are built to be rented out rather
than sold
As a result, cost is a key factor,

but premium features are expected by
occupants in order to justify high rents
( for example air conditioning)
Commercial
(http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1392565)
Industrial
This term can cover a wide range of buildings,

but overall the expectation is that the
building will house some sort of
manufacturing process
Industrial
There is therefore tremendous diversity in
what might be built.
Some industrial buildings might be termed as

speculative – indeed, processes such as
packaging, plastics moulding and light
engineering may well be housed in
commercial warehouse type buildings
Industrial
Typical industrial buildings include:
o Breweries
o Food factory
o Steelworks
o Chemical production
(Think of some more of your own)
Kastner Kellner works, Runcorn
(Source:flickr.com/photos/93173492@N00/218310224/ )
Chlorine and caustic soda factory

Industrial
In many industrial buildings, there will be a

significant design, construction and
commissioning input from other engineering
disciplines, most notably chemical /
process / electrical.
Industrial
Chernobyl
Source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1376891
Industrial
With industrial buildings, there is very often a
wish to expand capacity at a later date. This
means that on a wisely planned site, there is
consideration of expansion related issues
from the outset. But this not all sites are
wisely planned!!
Industrial
In addition to building and planning

regulations, industrial buildings bring with
them a whole range of extra legislation
( Health Safety Environment and others ) which
will have to be taken into account.
(IF YOU ARE AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT
LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORKS IN YOUR HOME
COUNTRY WILL PROBABLY BE DIFFERENT)
Industrial premises often have demands for
energy and power which not only far exceed
those of the building itself but also bring with
them other issues.
On this basis, this course unit will not concern

itself with industrial premises
Other types
Outside the three main groups, there are a

number of building types that do not quite
lend themselves to being put in the three
categories
Schools
In addition to the Building Regulations, there is a

set of Design Guidelines for Schools,
managed by the Department for Education
and Skills
Schools
Schools are unusual in that they are not

occupied all year round – in particular as far
as the UK is concerned, they are not in use
over the summer.
This has implications for design and energy

consumption issues.
Schools
(Source: http://www.e-architect.co.uk/scotland/jpgs/21stcschool_gha_alloa_school.jpg)
The new – “Schools for the Future”

Hotels
Essentially multiple occupancy residential, but with

catering, leisure conference and other facilities.
Occupancy patterns are very different to dwellings
High levels of services provision, but from central
plant
Hotels
Three broad groups in UK
o New developments
o Refurbishments
o ”Budget”
Hospitals
o Multiple occupancy, long and short stay

wards
o Specialist treatment areas ( including
operating theatres)
Hospitals
o Catering
o Laundry
o Laboratories
o Mortuary
o Retail
o Stores
Hospitals
The hospital is arguably the most diverse type
of building – they even contain places of
worship!!
This diversity places great demands upon the

design process, as many requirements
( some conflicting ) have to be met
Hospitals
As per Schools, hospitals have their own

design codes as laid down by NHS Estates, in
addition to the Building Regulations
the complexity of hospitals puts them beyond

the scope of this course unit
In conclusion…..
There are many types of buildings, with a wide range of

performance requirements.
However, the basic physics of how they perform is the

same….
In conclusion............
We will develop our understanding of

building energy performance in Section 3
Energy issues in Buildings - UK
The amounts of energy consumed within

buildings is large
STATISTICS GRAPH?
With this consumption come major

implications for CO2 emissions that cannot be
ignored.
The UK is bound by the EU energy in Buildings

Directive to achieve major savings in energy
consumption in buildings within a relatively
short timescale. Changes are being made to
UK Building Regulations in a relatively short
timescale to this effect.
There is a commitment to be building “near
zero” carbon dwellings in the UK by 2016.
The maximum permitted emission rates are
likely to be approximately
o 10 kg CO2(eq)/m2/yr for detached homes
o 11 kg CO2(eq)/m2/yr for terraced and semi-
detached homes
o 14 kg CO2(eq)/m2/yr for low rise flats.
By December 2019, all new buildings in the EU
should be able to produce at least as much
renewable energy as they consume.
This would move us past near zero energy to

a stage where many new buildings will be net
energy producers
The UK Government has recently changed its
mind about achieving zero energy
These are major challenges for new buildings.
And we haven’t even got as far as having a

robust plan for the refurbishment of existing
dwellings....
In order to be able to assess the capacity of
the renewables needed for a building, firstly
we need to know how much energy is being
consumed by that building
This includes
o Space heating
o Ventilation equipment ( HVAC)
o Lighting
o Cooking
These are the issues addressed in Section 3

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ReaCT Unit 6

In this section, we will gain a basic appreciation

So why do we need buildings anyway?

o Originally to provide shelter

o Defence Food storage

In the modern era, we divide up buildings into

Best defined as places where people make a

In the UK, house is often used as a blanket

These places may be

This covers bungalows and two storey

More than one single occupancy unit located

Some buildings are built especially for a client

In practice, many speculative commercial

As a result, cost is a key factor,

This term can cover a wide range of buildings,

Some industrial buildings might be termed as

Chlorine and caustic soda factory

In many industrial buildings, there will be a

In addition to building and planning

On this basis, this course unit will not concern

Outside the three main groups, there are a

In addition to the Building Regulations, there is a

Schools are unusual in that they are not

This has implications for design and energy

The new – “Schools for the Future”

Essentially multiple occupancy residential, but with

o Multiple occupancy, long and short stay

This diversity places great demands upon the

As per Schools, hospitals have their own

the complexity of hospitals puts them beyond

There are many types of buildings, with a wide range of

However, the basic physics of how they perform is the

We will develop our understanding of

The amounts of energy consumed within

With this consumption come major

The UK is bound by the EU energy in Buildings

This would move us past near zero energy to

And we haven’t even got as far as having a

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