Urbanisation may have been shown to have no effect on climate change, but some researchers suggest that cities are fully capable of responding to it. Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) represent dense urban areas within cities where the temperature is recorded to be higher than the neighbouring areas or those located in suburbia. Mitigation of UHI effects can help diminish detriments of climate change. This paper sets out to establish UHI mitigation strategies, their effectiveness and resilience to help provide recommendations for application of such strategies in future. Existing literature suggest that UK is facing with growing problem of UHI effects and sustainable development at urban scale can be improved if proportionate measures are taken to mitigate those effects. The lack of guidance for designers and planners with regards to UHI mitigation is also indicated in the literature where trees, shrubs and grass (TSG), use of high albedo materials (HAM) in external building surfaces and urban inland water bodies (UIWB) are identified as effective measures to mitigate UHI. This research identifies and tests resilience and effectiveness of UHI mitigation strategies, using ENVI-met simulations and through Urban Futures Assessment Method (UFAM).Assessed mitigation strategies (TSG, HAM, UIWB) are shown to have a similar level of resilience which could be improved if proper future-proof measures are taken in place. As a result, some practical suggestions are provided to help improve the resilience of tested UHI mitigation strategies in this study.

We formulate a hypothesis to test if IPD is correlated with BIM implementation in UK  Using a relativist ontological approach, we test this hypothesis  We show that there is a positive correlation between the two  We demonstrate IPD can improve UK construction by defragmenting parties  We attest that IPD can facilitate BIM implementation in UK

Double Skin Façades (DSFs) are applied in both new and existing buildings, especially in temperate climates. Research in this area is steadily growing; however, there is a lack of conclusive results in available literature about energy performances related to the DSF, thus limiting a better and more informed application of this technology in the Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC) sector. This paper systematically reviews more than 50 articles which have dealt with the energy related performance of DSFs in temperate climates and provide a meta-analysis of the numerical findings published in the studies examined. Energy related figures are presented separately for embodied and operational energy. Specifically, the operational energy end-uses taken into account are heating, cooling, lighting, and ventilation. Numerical results in the literature are normalised and expressed in form of percentage of maximum energy reduction/increment compared to a base case (e.g. a single skin case) used as a reference in the corresponding studies. Such an approach is meant to provide a reliable comparison of published figures. Key façade parameters (DSF spatial configurations, cavity width and ventilation), building parameters (orientation and climatic areas) and the methodological approaches used in the reviewed studies were deployed as clustering criteria. Several clustering criteria present extremely spread values, indicating the necessity to further investigate, understand, and attempt to reduce such high discrepancies in operational energy performances. Additionally, and more importantly, almost no information exists on DSFs life cycle energy figures, highlighting an important gap that requires further research.Suggested Reviewers: Mohamad Kiani PhD Principal Sustainability Consultant, Baily Garner LLP mohamadrezakiani@gmail.com Dr Kiani has extensive experience in sustainability in the construction industry. Additionally, his PhD thesis dealt with the environmental impacts of glazed facades which is a part of the review paper here submitted. AbstractDouble Skin Façades (DSFs) are applied in both new and existing buildings, especially in temperate climates. Research in this area is steadily growing; however, there is a lack of conclusive results in available literature about energy performances related to the DSF, thus limiting a better and more informed application of this technology in the Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC) sector. This paper systematically reviews more than 50 articles which have dealt with the energy related performance of DSFs in temperate climates and provide a meta-analysis of the numerical findings published in the studies examined. Energy related figures are presented separately for embodied and operational energy. Specifically, the operational energy end-uses taken into account are heating, cooling, lighting, and ventilation. Numerical results in the literature are normalised and expressed in form of percentage of maximum energy reduction/increment compared to a ba...

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In countries like the UK, the upkeep of existing buildings is where the greatest opportunities for achieving carbon reduction targets lie. Façades are the physical barriers between outdoors and indoors, and their upgrade can arguably be amongst the most effective interventions to improve the existing stock. Double Skin Façades (DSFs) represent a possible solution for low-carbon refurbishment due to their capability to reduce energy consumption, and the related carbon emissions, of the building they are applied to. Although much research exists on maximising the operational energy savings of DSFs, little is known about their life cycle performance. This article addresses such a knowledge gap through a comparative life cycle assessment between DSF refurbishments and an up-to-standard, single-skin alternative. This study adopts a parametric approach where 128 DSF configurations have been analysed through primary data. Energy and carbon (both operational and embodied) are the units assessed in this research. Results show that DSFs are more energy-efficient than single-skin in 98% of the cases, and more carbon-efficient in 85% of the cases. Not only does this study represent the first broad parametric approach to evaluating life cycle energy and carbon of DSFs within its given context, but it also informs environmentally-aware design and application of DSFs.

Cities are major sources of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions and the effects of mass urbanization upon the environment have now become clear. Great opportunities exist within cities for tackling climate change. Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect is a phenomenon where significant temperature difference between inner micro-climates of a city and their neighboring microclimates can be perceived. Mitigation of UHI effects can positively contribute to alleviate detriments of climate change. This research project aims to investigate effective and resilient UHI mitigation strategies and to provide guidance for their application in future. A review of literature indicates that UHI is a growing problem in the UK and that mitigation of such effects would enhance sustainable development at urban scale. The lack of guidance for designers and planners looking into mitigating the UHI effect is also identified. Utilizing ENVI-met simulations and through Urban Futures Assessment Method (UFAM), this research identifies and tests resilient and effective UHI mitigation strategies. Results show that building form, orientation and layout are among the most effective UHI mitigation strategies. Trees, shrubs and grass (TSG), and use of high albedo materials (HAM) in external building surfaces are also indicated as effective measures whose success is dependent on building form. All assessed mitigation strategies (TSG, HAM, UIWB) are shown to have a similar level of resilience which could be improved if properly future-proofed against subsequent changes. Accordingly some practical suggestions are provided to help improve the resilience of tested UHI mitigation strategies.

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