An Investigation of the Energy-Saving Optimization Design of the Enclosure Structure in High-Altitude Office Buildings

Abstract

Concerning the double carbon national strategy, the energy-saving renovation of old buildings has become one of the most important tasks of energy conservation and emission reduction in construction in China. There are many problems, such as high energy consumption, thermal environment, and poor thermal comfort. Taking Lhasa as an example, this study adopts field research, questionnaire interviews, on-site measurements, numerical simulations, and other methods to propose suitable energy-saving potential excavation points and thermal optimization strategies for office building envelopes in Lhasa through software simulation. Additionally, typical office buildings are selected to carry out the energy-saving renovation of envelopes with the goal of improving indoor thermal comfort to validate the feasibility of the energy-saving renovation strategies. The results show the following: (1) The measured and predicted thermal neutral temperatures of the office population in Lhasa are 16.5 °C and 18.9 °C, respectively. The 90% acceptable temperature range is from 16.10 °C to 21.77 °C, and the occupants of the office buildings in Lhasa have a higher tolerance for cold than predicted. (2) The passive measures adapted to Lhasa are prioritized in the order of passive solar energy, high-heat-capacity materials, and nighttime ventilation. (3) Through the optimization of the enclosure structure of existing office buildings, the improvement of the heat storage capacity of the outer enclosure structure, and the increase in the window opening area to increase natural ventilation, the indoor thermal comfort of the renovated buildings is effectively improved.

Case Study of Space Optimization Simulation of Existing Office Buildings Based on Thermal Buffer Effect

“…On 11 March 2022, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development issued the "14th Five-Year Plan for Building Energy Efficiency and Green Building Development", which requires that more than 350 million m 2 of energy saving renovation of existing buildings should be completed by 2025 [2]. At present, building renovation [3,4] mostly focuses on building function and form and lacks consideration of physical space and the thermal environment [5,6], and a large number of buildings have difficulty in meeting the national green and sustainable development requirements in terms of energy conservation and emission reduction, health, comfort, and economy, resulting in problems such as lack of livability and inefficient environmental performance [7,8]. In order to solve the problem between architecture and the environment, many architects at home and abroad have carried out a lot of practical explorations, such as the Dutch architect Herman, who proposed the theory of "intervening space", Aldo van Eyck established the theoretical system of "intermediary space" [9], and the Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa proposed the concept of "gray space" [10,11].…”