Sustainable Construction Assessment 2022

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BLDG2031 Sustainable Construction:
Assessment 2- Case Study
By (Name)
Course
Professor’s name
University name
City, State
Date of submission

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Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Building background..............................................................................................................3
Performance analysis.................................................................................................................4
Sustainable performance indicators.......................................................................................4
Methodology..........................................................................................................................4
Data presentation and analysis...............................................................................................5
Energy................................................................................................................................6
Weather and climate...........................................................................................................8
Building layout...................................................................................................................8
Internal Environmental Quality (IEQ)...............................................................................9
Sustainability Refurbishment plan...........................................................................................13
Refurbishment plan..............................................................................................................13
References................................................................................................................................16
Appendix..................................................................................................................................18
Appendix 1: Questionnaire..................................................................................................18
Appendix 2: Site Photos.......................................................................................................19

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Introduction
Sustainability is one of the key aspects of Millennial Development Goals (MDGs) of the
majority of the countries under the United Nations. The topic of sustainability has taken
centre stage more than ever in the past thirty years globally, largely due to the adverse effects
of global warming that have been experienced in many parts of the globe (BRE Center for
Sustainable Construction 2005). As a result, most industries, including the construction
industry have taken measures to ensure the materials, designs and building management
systems are kore environmentally friendly. It has been estimated that the construction
industry contributes at least 17 percent of carbon emissions (Uher 2009). The undesirable
environmental impact of buildings has mainly be contributed by; energy (over 40 %),
building materials (28 %), water use and sewerage disposal (26%), land (11 %) and pollution
emission (Boyle 2009). Majority of the buildings that were constructed over three decades
ago are thus considered unsustainable. As a result, efforts are being made to employ changes
and strategies to improve their sustainable performance. This report that will investigate and
evaluate the performance of building 201, and a sustainability refurbishment produced from
the previously mentioned analysis (Baker 2009). All the information contained in this report,
including the data and recommendations in this report have been researched and documented
by four members that constitute the group.
Building background
The case study building for this report is Building 201. The building has been operation for
more than 40 years. The building frame is made of in situ concrete with masonry infill, and
supports seven storeys. The main function of the building has been an educational facility.
Over its lifetime, it has experienced a number of design changes that have affected the
building performance, especially natural ventilation and air circulation. As a result, the
building heavily relies on HVAC.
All the plans for the building have been provided for in the Appendix.

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Performance analysis
Sustainable performance indicators
In order to achieve a comprehensive performance analysis, it is paramount to determine the
sustainable performance indicators that will be measured and evaluated. This sub-section will
provide appropriate sustainable performance indicators that were considered for Building
201. Sustainable performance indicators have been defined by (Lombera and Aprea 2010) as
those factors that may affect; use of minerals, acidification, Eco toxicity, eutrophication, land
uses, breathing effects due to organic substances and ironic radiation. From our literature
review, it was observed that numerous construction organisations rank their sustainable
factors in the following order of importance: energy, building materials, pollution, water,
health and wellbeing, ecology and land use, and transport (Abdi Karim 2007).
Due to the location and the function of the building, the most probable pollutants include
smoke, dust and noise from the nearby traffic, littering by the students themselves and, dust
and noise from the neighbouring urban area. The major sustainable performance indicators
include:
 Energy efficiency: How are the building structure, envelope and systems designed to
ensure the optimum use of energy?
 Water efficiency: How efficient are the building’s water circulation and consumption
systems when in operation?
 Materials: How have the choice, design and use of building materials enhanced
environmental protection?
 Indoor environmental quality (IEQ): what are the design strategies that have enhanced
high quality IEQ, with minimal adverse effects to the environment, including but not
limited to; acoustics, indoor air quality, thermal comfort, lighting and ventilation?
 Green features: Has the building adopted any technologies, or green practices or
features that enhance its sustainability?
For the purposes of this report, the above listed factors will be classified into two major
categories: operational and functional performance (AECOM 2012). Operational
performance will focus on the quality of internal environment IEQ while the functional
performance will focus on the effectiveness and efficiency of the building design and
structure, design and envelope such as building materials, energy efficiency, water efficiency
and green features. The building’s energy efficiency will be determined by the sum of
embodied energy and energy consumption. Embodied energy refers to the energy absorbed
within the building, due to exposure of building materials to the sun and other elements while
energy consumption will focus on energy used in production of greenhouse gases, volatile
carbons, particulates and other pollutants (A.S, D.L. and Z. 2009).
Methodology
The research methods that were employed to obtain data include literature review, site
reconnaissance, questionnaires and observation. Literature referenced and analysed from this
report was obtained from the institution’s library, acclaimed proceedings and journals, and
peer reviewed articles. The group members were cautious in ensuring that all the literature
was published within the last two decades, by acclaimed authors and institutions (Industry
2000). The group members undertook a building reconnaissance on 7th October, 2019 to
obtain the necessary data on building performance. Group members took photographs of key
elements to be evaluated in this analysis (Appendix 2). The building’s performance data was
obtained from the facilities manager and the building’s architect. All the operational

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performance data was collected from September 2010 to August 2011, and it was obtained
from the facilities management of the building. Meteorological and climatic data used for
comparison in this report have been obtained from the Bureau of Meteorology.
Questionnaires were used to collect information and opinions on the various building
practices currently use by the building users, such as, how often they used artificial light as
compared to daylight and operation of windows and openings vis-a-vis air conditioning
(Appendix 1). A total of 150 questionnaires were handed out to a sample of the building users
on 7th and 8th October, 2019 by personal delivery (CIRIA 2014). A total of 46 completed
questionnaires were returned which records a 31 percent rate. This response rate is deemed
acceptable for our kind of research (Cooper 2011). All the data was compiled with no bias to
the participants’ profession, educational background or age.
Data presentation and analysis
An analysis of the questionnaires showed that the respondents could be classifies as follows:
34 percent of the respondents were staff (administration and lecturers) while 51 percent of the
respondents were students (Figure 1).
Students Stafff Visitors Other
Fig 1. Distribution of respondents
The questionnaire survey provided information on the building practices and behaviour. The
responses were analysed by the group members, and the findings can be found in Table 1
below:
Issue Most common response Response
rate (%)
Ventilation Heavy reliance on air conditioning
Windows operated less frequently
65
Lighting Heavy reliance on artificial lighting
Those adjacent to windows still had their
artificial lights on in spite of the presence of
natural light
69
12
Internal Environment
Quality (IEQ)
Relatively good
A few respondents had an issue with the intense
55
11

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air conditioning
Water Most people had no idea on the source, or if the
water was re-used and recycled
61
Waste disposal Majority of the respondents disposed waste in
the designated areas
It was the opinion of the majority of the
respondents that the disposal systems could be
improved
73
71
Table1. Response from the questionnaires
Energy
Electricity supplied from the grid, was the most commonly used form of energy in the
building. The following is the energy consumption data of the building for the year 2010:
Fig 2. Electrical performance for the year 2010

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Fig 3. Electrical performance for the year 2010
Fig 4. Electrical performance for the year 2010

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From the data above air conditioning takes up over 25 percent while lighting takes the
majority 75 percent of the daily electrical consumption. In addition, data obtained from the
questionnaires showed that majority of the respondents rely heavily on artificial lighting,
even when there is sufficient day light. In addition, electricity consumption was highest in the
months of April-May, and August-September. This may be attributed to the cold
temperatures and cloudy skies of the winter season that takes place between June to August.
Weather and climate
Building 201 is located within a hot and wet climate that may be classified as Cfb Climate
under the Koeppen- Geiger classification. This climate is characterised by tropical air-masses
that cause thunderstorms, moderately warm temperatures, precipitation that is received
throughout the year and dry humilities during winter.
Building layout
Building orientation plays a key role in determining how the atmospheric elements interact
with the building. Building 201 was constructed on a fairly level land, and oriented in the
northwest- southeast direction. As a result, all the rooms on the western façade have higher
internal air temperatures than other rooms in the building (R.L. 2012), due to solar heat gains.
In addition, rooms on this façade, that are on level 5- 7 will experience intense glare during
the afternoons (from 12pm to 6pm). Rooms on the lower floor will be shielded by the
surrounding vegetation and buildings from any intense glare or solar heat gains (F.G, N.B
and G 2011).
Fig 5. Building layout-western facade
The architect of the building oriented the windows in such a way that they follow the local
trade winds, thus designed for maximum natural cross ventilation (Boris, Howard and Lewis
2011). However, due to changes over the lifetime of the building, there are some rooms and
partitions that were later added, that interfere with the natural air flow path.
The materials used for the building envelope are glass and brick cladding. The structure is a
framed reinforced concrete structure while the interiors feature ceramic tile floor finish,
painted plasterboard walls and ceilings (EuroACE 2011). As such, the bricks and concrete
have a higher thermal mass that contribute to slightly increase internal temperatures.

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However, considering the climate of the locale, these heat gains cause minimal discomfort to
the users. The interior partitions have 6mm fibreglass insulation, which was installed mainly
for acoustic purposes, but also acts as a thermal mass.
Fresh water in the building is sourced from the local authority’s mains, and stored in
underground tanks. For most of the year, only 16 percent of the water is heated, while during
the winter its usage increases to 43 percent. The water is heated by electrical heaters, which
may contribute to high electricity consumption. As such, the group members find it fitting to
use renewable energy for this purpose, e.g., solar water heating.
Internal Environmental Quality (IEQ)
An optimum indoor environment is paramount in ensuring the productivity of the building’s
users. IEQ is determined the internal air temperature, internal humidity, ventilation, lighting
and glare. In this section, all these factors will be analysed in relation to Building 201. Data
from the questionnaires revealed that majority of the respondents thought that the internal
working environment was relatively good, but could use some improvement.
Internal air temperature
The internal temperature of any room is influenced by; exposure to solar heat gains,
ventilation systems and internal heat gains from equipment or building users. The figure 5
below show the recorded internal temperatures for the year 2010. The highest temperatures
were recorded in February on level 6 while the lowest temperatures were recorded in July on
level 3 and room 514A. The highest temperatures were recorded on Level 7 while the lowest
temperatures were recorded in room 407. were recorded on level the highest mean
temperatures were recorded in Level 6 while the lowest were recorded in room 514A.
Fig 6. Internal air temperatures for the year 2010

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Fig 7. Thermal sensations for various rooms, recorded in September
It is evident that the lower levels of the building are colder while the higher levels are
warmer. This may be attributed to the presence of neighbouring towering buildings and
vegetation, which block Building 201 from receiving direct solar energy. Therefore, rooms
that are located on the lower floor consume much electricity throughout the year for lighting
and HVAC while electricity on the higher levels on consumed largely by HVAC, especially
in the hot seasons. Consequently, the group members proposed the following actions to
minimise over-reliance on electricity for internal air temperature regulation:
 Passive design strategies to reduce solar heat gains in the upper floors.
 Passive design strategies to ventilate all the rooms.
 Smart technological solutions for efficient HVAC systems
 Introduction of renewable energy systems
Internal Humidity
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prescribes that indoors should be maintained at
a relative humidity below 50 percent to prevent dust mite infections, mildew growth, bacteria
and mold. However, in the winter, these levels may drop up to 30- 40 percent, sufficient to
prevent condensation on surfaces and windows. The figure 7 below shows the comfort levels
with the internal humidity for various rooms, for the months August- September.

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Fig 8. Internal Humidity levels for the months August- September
Majority of the respondents indicated that the humidity in most rooms and floors to be just
right with an exception of room 309 and room 517D that were noted to be quite dry. The
relative humidity in these rooms is below 30 percent which may be attributed to the following
reason; since it was the end of winter, the outside air, with a low dewpoint, was heated and
thus lost water-vapour. The group members proposed the following solutions:
 Checking the mentioned rooms for any heat source or equipment
 Addition of sustainable humidifiers in these rooms.
 Check the building materials, for those that have high thermal mass
Ventilation
It was observed during the site visit that 89 percent of the rooms had access to window
openings while 10 percent of the rooms had permanent ventilation orifices. However, over 54
percent of the windows were not opened, thus rendering natural ventilation ineffective. Over
81 percent of the rooms heavily relied on air conditioning. As such, HVAC contributes over
25 percent of the building’s energy consumption. In order to improve the sustainability index,
the group member suggest the following measures:
 Re-arrange some rooms and partitions that may interfere with the natural air-flow.
 Smart technologies that use minimal energy for operations
 Installation of renewable energy to power HVAC.
Lighting
During the site reconnaissance, it was observed that 89 percent of the rooms had access to
exterior lighting via large steel windows. However, artificial light was still used in the
majority of these rooms. It was observed that the rooms on the lower levels obtained limited
day-light due to the presence of vegetation or neighbouring tall buildings. It was also
observed that the higher levels had artificial lights on due to force of habit. All the artificial
light relied on electricity obtained from the grid. Following these findings, the group
members propose the following measures:
 Smart technologies that turn off artificial lights when there is sufficient daylight in the
room

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 Installation of renewable energy-powered lighting, e.g., solar energy
 Use colours and materials that reflect more light in the lower floors, to reflect the
available daylight
Glare
The group members observed on site that the envelope of the building consisted of mostly
glass and brick members. The building itself is neighboured by multi-storey buildings, which
have an average of 4 floors and averagely sparsed vegetation. As such, the rooms on the
lower floor are shielded from the sun, and may require minimum glare treatment. However,
the rooms from Level 5-7 experience intense glare during the afternoons, especially on the
rooms located on western side. Therefore, the windows in these rooms will require glare
treatment.

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Sustainability Refurbishment plan
Refurbishment is often an expensive task, and therefore an efficient plan ought to be
developed by the project management team. The main aim for this refurbishment is to
improve Building 201’s sustainability index, thus enhancing its surrounding environment.
Other objectives to be achieved by this refurbishment include:
 Space re-organization for optimum internal environmental quality and functionality
 Renovating the building’s deteriorated sections
 Improved energy efficiency
 Improved water efficiency
 Improved aesthetics
 Increased market competitiveness and valuation
 Quality update
Refurbishment plan
The Table 2 below contains the sustainable solutions for various areas of Building 201.
Emphasis has been placed on relying on natural resources as much as possible. Information
on the financial costs and implementation period have been excluded from this refurbishment
plan.
Refurbishment plan
Area SolutionsBuilding structure and facade
Structure  The current structure requires minimal repair.
 Due to the noise that will be experienced in the renovation
works, it should be arranged that one floor be renovated at a
time, while the rest may continue their normal functions.
Materials  The exterior brick cladding will require minimal repair since
they are in accordance with the aesthetic and functional aims.
 The brick cladding will be refreshed following these steps:
cleaning and applying one coat of sealer.
 The windows whose panes have cracked or fallen off will require
replacement
 The glass may be changed to more environmentally friendly
glazing option, that is designed to allow minimal glare and solar
heat gains into the interiors.
Considerations:
 Ideally the glass should be locally sourced, to minimise any
emissions due to transportation.
 Labour is locally sourced
Insulation  Due to the cumulative thermal mass properties of the current
building materials, minimal repairs will be made to the
insulation.
 Damaged insulation will be replaced with environmentally
options such as cellulose insulation (80 percent recycled
material)
 In situations where slab exposure is required, the insulation
should be removed.

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Thermal mass To regulate the internal air temperatures, additional thermal mass may
be achieved in the following ways:
 Slab exposure
 Execution of PCM
Solar gains  To minimise solar heat gains from the western façade windows,
triple glazing should be used. Double glazing may be installed in
the other windows
 Retrofit brick or timber solar shading system that may be clades
with solar power generating tiles that collect solar energy. The
solar shading system may be mechanically controlled.
Thermal
performance
 Replace the electrical air conditioning with a more efficient and
sustainable HVAC that is solar powered
 Remove all vacuum insulated panels and replace them with
vertical cooling gardens
 Reduce the glazing area on the western façade by use of solar
shading devices
 Replace all cooling systems with a more sustainable option, e.g.
use of water features, vertical cooling gardensInternal layout and organisation
Materials  To increase thermal mass, use PCM microcapsule integrated
plaster walls or any other relevant PCM techniques.
 Add openings in partitions that disrupt the natural air-flow to
enhance cross ventilation of the spaces
 Use double or triple glazed windows to reduce glare and solar
heat gains
Layout  Reorganise the rooms such that those that have no access to
natural ventilation and are blocking the natural air-flow are
demolished and incorporated in other spaces by use of semi-solid
plasterboard partitions with cellulose insulation
 Install openings following the natural air path through the
building to ensure maximum cross ventilation through the
spaces.
Ventilation  Install a smart-technology HVAC system that functions
complimentary to the natural ventilation
 Design the ventilation system to adapt to different functions and
materials of the room, as such energy is used efficiently.
 Optimize all control procedures for the ventilation systems
Lighting  Reduce artificial lighting during the day by setting controls via
the Building Management System (BMS).
 Use of bright reflective colours to diffuse the natural light within
the rooms
 Sustainable lamps and luminaires of sufficient performance
should be selected and installed in all the rooms
 Unnecessary lights should be minimised
 Put automatic controls that switch off the artificial light when
there is sufficient daylight.Energy consumption
Electricity  Check whether the existing electrical services are up to date and
efficient

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 Assess all equipment and machinery for efficient electricity use.
 Install efficient control systems that adapt to the varying
consumption from day to night.
Heating and
cooling
 Use of passive heating and cooling systems, e.g., use of solar
powered heating systems, use of water features or vertical
gardens for evaporative cooling
 Use of materials with a high thermal mass to ensure the interior
environment is maintained at optimum temperature.
 Install smart-technology control systems that have a better
performance.
 Use of natural cross ventilation; remove all partition and rooms
that may block the natural air-flow through the building
 Check and organise for the recovery of unused heat, or whether it
may be re-used.
 Check and remove any appliances and equipment that may be
producing excess heat, or organise for that heat to be reused.
Water  Optimise the current plumbing system
 Implement techniques for water re-use, that may be tailored for
Building 201
 Install rainwater harvesting techniques
 Recycle and reuse greywater, which may be used for toilet water
or irrigation.
Waste  Develop a waste management plan ensure that all the waste from
the building is disposed off effectively
 Provide a provision for recycling or reusing materials extracted
from the waste
Table 2. Refurbishment plan

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Appendix
Appendix 1: Questionnaire
The Department of Built Environment has tasked its students to perform case studies of
various existing Buildings within Australia for their semester projects. Gathering information
from the buildings’ users and professionals in the construction industry is vital for this
process. Please fill out all parts of the questionnaire.
Kindly use a rating of 0-5, with 0 being very poor and 5 being very good
Part I
Do you think the structure solid enough to continue its use for the next 30 years?
How would you grade the exterior façade of Building 201?
Which features do you think best identify Building 201?
Which features of the building do you think need repair and/or renovations?
How often do you open the windows when entering a room?
Do you prefer air conditioning to natural ventilation? If yes, why?
Do you switch off the lights when there is glaring daylight? If no, why?
How would you grade the comfort ability of the rooms in the building?
Which are the most and least comfortable rooms in the building? And why?
Do you know where the water in the building is sourced from?
Where do you dispose your waste within the building?
Part II
What would you describe as a sustainable building?
Would you categorise Building 201 as a sustainable building? Give your reasons
What would you propose to improve the sustainability of the building?
What changes would you like to see in Building 201? Give your reasons