Abstract:Energy performance of buildings has attracted much attention among building physicists and engineers worldwide. The effects of building heating; ventilation; and air conditioning (HVAC) systems' design upgrade on the building energy performance are the focus of the current study. The adopted HVAC system consisted of chilled ceiling and chilled beam systems served by a centrifugal water chiller. An energy simulation study was undertaken in accordance with the national Australian built environment rating system-rules for collecting and using data. A three-dimensional simulation study was carried out utilizing the virtual environment-integrated environmental solutions software. Results from the current study have shown the importance of utilizing energy-efficient HVAC systems and HVAC strategies for achieving a high building energy star rating. Recommended strategies in order to achieve the nominated star rating; as predicted by the simulation analysis; were presented. Moreover; the effects of solar radiation inside the building atrium were significant; which cannot be overcome by simply installing a low shading coefficient glazing type at the atrium skylight. In addition to providing chilled ceiling technology; a high efficiency chiller and low energy lighting; it is recommended that the building be well tuned during the commissioning period. The current approach could be extended to accommodate higher energy ratings of commercial buildings at different locations worldwide.
Carparks are constructed to provide a certain number of car spaces for visitors, shoppers and/or clients of a commercial facility. The required ventilation system design is generally based on local standards provided by local authorities. The purpose of the current study is to develop a performance based ventilation system for a shopping center carpark. The aim of the study is to undertake computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modelling of the carpark to determine the potential minimum ventilation exhaust rate levels. Results showed that the proposed carpark exhaust system was considered acceptable and no modifications were required. The CO concentration levels in all areas, except within the immediate vicinity of car exhaust plumes, were below 100 ppm. The average predicted CO rise was less than 25 ppm across the carpark which is in compliance with the current Worksafe Australia and WHO CO exposure limits. Moreover, results indicated that the 64,000 l/s exhaust air flowrate was sufficient, and could be reduced to 50,000 l/s. From a financial point of view, it was concluded that the removal of the outlet grilles located at the Southern wall of the Commuters section of the carpark was an acceptable alternative. This cost saving is based on the potential deletion of a fan system, plenum arrangement and shaft which are required as part of the deemed-to-satisfy system design.
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