Be0898 2014 15 frost

Building Design and Performance Critique Refurbishment of Ellison Building

(Google, n.d.)

Module Title: Building Services Technology and Measurement Technology Module Code: BE: 0898 Module Tutor: Jess Tindle Student ID: 10034864 Word Count: 3284

Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 3 Building Management System............................................................................................... 3 Offsite Construction .............................................................................................................. 3 Facade .................................................................................................................................. 3 Existing Facade ................................................................................................................. 3 Proposed Facade .............................................................................................................. 4 Additional Design and Solar Protection.............................................................................. 5 Thermal Mass ....................................................................................................................... 6 Heating ................................................................................................................................. 7 Existing Heating ................................................................................................................ 7 Underfloor heating ............................................................................................................. 8 Combined Heat and Power................................................................................................ 9 Liverpool Museum.......................................................................................................... 9 Granada TV studios, Manchester ...................................................................................... 9 Future Heat Provision ........................................................................................................... 9 Ventilation ........................................................................................................................... 10 General Areas ................................................................................................................. 10 Ventilation Toilets and Workshops................................................................................... 11 Solar Panels ....................................................................................................................... 11 Lighting ............................................................................................................................... 13 Existing Lighting .............................................................................................................. 13 Proposed Lighting ........................................................................................................... 14 General classrooms and lecture rooms. ....................................................................... 14 Kitchen and Toilets ...................................................................................................... 14 Lighting Controls .......................................................................................................... 15 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 15 References ......................................................................................................................... 16 Appendices 1 ...................................................................................................................... 18 1

Appendices 2 ...................................................................................................................... 19

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Introduction Northumbria Universities recognises that investing in its current facilities will make it a more attractive place for students to learn. Northumbria University is an international facility with around 35,000 students from over 140 countries worldwide. The Universities performance in UK quality audits ranks it as one best amongst modern universities within the country (Quacquarelli Symonds, n.d.). Northumbria University has invested over a £100 million in improving facilities for students with the inclusion of a recently constructed sports facility in 2010 worth £30 million (Northumbria University, n.d.).

To continue with this ongoing development Northumbria University plans to refurbish the Ellison building. The main reason that refurbishment was selected over rebuild is that Northumbria University recognises it has a key role in caring for the environment and acknowledge that demolition of the existing building will have an adverse environmental impact, as one third of all landfill is currently due to demolition (Power, 2009). Other than the environmental issues, there are practical issues which need to be addressed; the total closure of Ellison building for any length of time would impact on the successful delivery of planned courses, this is a totally unacceptable position for the University. To address this issue the planned refurbishment will be undertaken in phases and will utilise offsite construction (Northumbria University, n.d.).

Building Management System Within this refurbishment it is planned to install a building management system (BMS) to control the specialist services within the building. BMS allows for the monitoring and targeting of high energy usage within a building and allows the regulation of services to provide a more balanced environment. This greater control will reduce the energy consumption within a building, promoting a more sustainable facility (CIBSE, 2009).

Offsite Construction Offsite construction will be major benefit to the refurbishment of Ellison Building. With the renewal of the external façade, easy access will be allowed for the installation of prefabricated pods, especially with the installation of toilet facilities. The design of the façade will allow for future replacements to be installed efficiently, by allowing the removal of elevations. The use of Offsite production will lessen the impact of works on site and allow future refurbishments to be undertaken with less disruption to occupants. Offsite construction is a more sustainable solution of construction as it allows for less waste of materials and less disruption to students and employees of the university (Vernikos et al., 2013).

Facade Existing Facade The Ellison Building facade is currently a concrete framed building with single glazed metal windows, with timber and tiled cladding, as can be seen in image 1 and 2.The overall aesthetics of the building is drab and outdated. Not only is there an issue with the aesthetics of the building but on a practical level the single glazing allows for heat transfer and solar glare into rooms. In summer there is an issue of overheating and in winter heat loss is deemed to be unacceptable. To prevent solar glare Northumbria University have installed

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hanging blinds, the installation of blinds are ineffective and prevent the circulation of air by restricting the utilisation of natural ventilation via window openings.

Image 1, existing external facade.

Image 2, existing external facade (Student ID 10034864, 2014)

Proposed Facade Utilising natural light within a building is a key requirement, not just to improve overall energy efficiency, but also can have psychological benefits. Natural light has a positive effect on student’s circadian rhythms, which can result in higher learning, which may result in increased satisfaction from students; which will increase Northumbria’s academic standing globally (Aksamija, 2013).

With this in mind, this refurbishment will promote the application of fully glazed facade to all elevations. As the external facade is to be fully glazed it is important to address the issue of solar gain and heat loss. Within this refurbishment it is planned to utilise low-emissivity glass, low-emissivity glass reflects energy back into a building to prevent heat loss but also allows certain amounts of passive solar heat gain, this will increase energy efficiency in the winter, as shown in image 3. The majority of solar energy enters the building as short wave radiation; this is absorbed internally and released as long wave radiation. Low-emissivity glass has coating which prevents this heat loss. To maximise efficiency all year round it is planned to install glazing which utilises solar control and low-emissivity benefits (Pilkington , 2013). For safety reasons the use of laminated glazing will be endorsed.

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Image 3, an example of low-emissivity glass (UK Images, 2013)

Additional Design and Solar Protection With the installation of full length glazing, the effect on Northumbria’s universities ethos to be at the edge of cutting design wouldn’t be achieved, although full length glazing is clean and aesthetically pleasing the need to steer away from blinds on the internal of the building, has led the design team to install a dynamic facade as can be seen in the Kiefer Technik showroom. This system consists of metal panels that fold up and down, as can be seen in image 4 and 5. The panels are independent and allow for individual operation to be used to enhance the comfort of students. This also provides the building with changeable designs with a uniqueness that will enhance the Universities standing and ingenuity (Pleat Farm, 2010). The motion of the tiles is quiet and won’t disturb inhabitants within the building.

Image 4 Versatility and dynamic changing design of the Kiefer Technik showroom (Pleat Farm, 2010)

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Image 5 Individual Operation can alter to increase occupants comfort (Pleat Farm, 2010)

Although the installation of this facade isn’t in keeping with Northumbria’s ethos of energy efficiency, due to the additional energy required to utilise the use of this facade. The additional benefits of this dynamic design will portray the University at the forefront of modern buildings.

Thermal Mass Thermal mass is the ability of materials to store heat that is generated throughout the day.

To benefit the regulation and efficiency of this refurbishment then any heat stored within materials will need to be released in line with the buildings daily heating and cooling cycle (Concrete Thinker, 2007). To assist with this, the inclusion of phase change materials (PCM) will be utilised.

PCM’s absorb heat approximately 14 times more than traditionally constructed materials; this will allow greater control over the temperature comfort within rooms allowing greater interaction and alertness from students who won’t become overheated and lethargic (ENOB, 2007). The use of PCM’s in conjunction with the natural ventilation will allow night purges as the building cools. An example of the makeup PCM’s can be seen in image

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Image 6, makeup of PCM’s on microscopic level (ENOB, 2007)

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Heating Existing Heating The majority of the heat provision within the classrooms throughout Ellison building is provided by radiators, as can be seen in image 7. Athough radiators are a good source of heat provision this report wouldnt recommend the installation in a classroom enviroment, due to the fact that students sitting directly adjacent to the radiator may become overheated (CIBSE, 2005). As can be seen in image 8 there is provision on the radiator for the alteration of heat allowance through a thermostat, although this would assist with the altering of the temperature, it is undertaken manually, so this wouldnt allow for the quick alteration of the temperature within the room and may lead to these being made redundant or under used.

The recommended heating temperatures within classrooms is 19-21 degrees (CIBSE, 2005).

Due to this the use radiators with manually operated thermostats are an unreliable way of heat control. Other heating within Ellison Building is provided by independent heaters as can be seen in picture 3 and by warm air heating located in the refectory.

Image 7, temperature control.

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Image 8, portable heat emitters.

Image 9, warm air heating

Underfloor heating Due to to the preferred design of fully glazed faรงade and keeping in line with the design ethos, the installation of underfloor heating will be utilised. Underfloor heating is a more energy efficent method of heating than the use of radiators, this is due to the fact that heat from radiators rises then descends to heat the room, as this happens the warm air reduces as it decends, as underfloor heating releases warmth directly from the floor heat loss is reduced (REUK, 2006). This can be seen in image 10.

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Image 10, heat diferentiation between heating systems (REUK, 2006).

Underfloor heating is a more sustainable form of heating than traditional radiators, this will be made more energy efficent by linking the system into the BMS system to alter the heating requiremnets via sensors to moderate the temperature within the rooms.

Combined Heat and Power When looking at heat and power provisions within this refurbishment scheme it will be planned to utilise Combined Heat and Power (CHP) the use of these systems can provide significant savings on carbon emissions by up to 30% (Central Government, 2011)This report will examine 2 case studies in which the utilisation of CHP within the refurbishment could potentially provide savings both financially and environmentally.

Liverpool Museum Liverpool Museum incorporated CHP within its design in 2011, since then the museum has saved around ÂŁ500,000 in annual energy bills. The installation of the CHP which creates efficient heating, power and cooling has also seen the reduction of carbon emissions by 884 tonnes annually, which is equivalent the removal of 295 vehicles off the road (Energy Group, 2013).

Granada TV studios, Manchester Granada Studios incorporated CHP within their studio facilities in 2001 to try and reduce its carbon footprint and to reduce it escalating energy. This system has been successful over its life cycle with over ÂŁ200,000 savings in annual energy bills since its installation in 2001. The largest impact can be seen in the C02 Emissions, in which it is now saving 4279 tonnes of C02 annual, which is equivalent to planting 4279,000 trees each year (Energy Group, 2013).

The above case studies reinforce the decision of this report to install CHP technologies within this proposed refurbishment.

Future Heat Provision This report identifies the possible benefit of utilising district heating in the future plans of Northumbria University as can be seen in appendices 2; the government have identified four 9

case studies which have utilised district heating. As can be seen from the diverse use and installations of district heating significant savings can be made both financially environmentally, with an average payback of 5 to 10 years (Local Government, 2012).

Ventilation Generally the ventilation within Ellison Building is provided by natural ventilation apart from specialist areas such as workshops, toilets and kitchens, in which full or partial Mechanical ventilation is utilised. As can be seen in Image 11, the utilisation of natural ventilation has been rendered virtually in affective due to the application of window restrictions. The installation of window restrictions prevents the flow of air required to ventilate the rooms adequately. The issue of inadequate ventilation will be increased on elevations facing west and east depending upon the time of day. Increased heat from the sun will quickly overheat these rooms and without the addition of adequate ventilation these rooms will become uncomfortable and not be the ideal place to learn.

Image 1, window restrictor.

General Areas The ventilation rates required within classrooms is a minimum of 3 litres per person, but should be capable of providing 8litres per person (CIBSE, 2005, pp.2-42), with this in mind the use of mixed mode ventilation will be utilised within this refurbishment. The sustainability and cost efficiency of utilising this form of ventilation can be seen in lower energy consumption, reduced carbon emissions, decreased capital costs and maintenance costs (CIBSE, 2012).

Mixed mode ventilation can be split into three sub-categories, which are Complementary Systems, Zoned Systems and Contingency designs (CIBSE, 2005). For this planned refurbishment, Contingency designs will be utilised. The reason for this is maximise the use of natural ventilation, which will allow the addition of mechanical ventilation at a later date.

This allows a certain amount of future proofing of the building and can allow for changes in the functionality of rooms. To maximise the use of this system within this refurbishment then 10

the use roof mounted ventilators will be required. The wind pressure will be greater at increased heights, so this will allow greater air pressure to drive air through the building (CIBSE, 2007). The use roof ventilation will prevent any comprise with external design of the façade and will still be able to maximise the sustainable benefits of natural ventilation.

Image 12, typical wind driven ventilation system (BSRIA, 2005)

Ventilation kitchen and Refectory Due to the functionality of this facility the use of a fully mechanical system will have to be utilised, due to the fact that the requirements for the removal of steam and cooking odours are high. The recommended air changes within kitchens are 60 air changes per hour (CIBSE, 2005, pp.2-42). Although the use of fully mechanical ventilation is endorsed, careful consideration needs to be taken with the positioning of the extraction exhausts on roof level; this is to prevent the transfer of smells to other rooms via the roof mounted ventilation system.

Ventilation Toilets and Workshops Due to the functionality of these rooms the mechanical ventilation will again have to be utilised. With a minimum of two extract fans per room. Localised industrial extraction will be utilised within workshops as required.

Solar Panels During this refurbishment the installation of Photovoltaic’s will be utilised on the roof of Ellison building. The main benefits for the installation of Photovoltaic’s are government incentives, energy savings and C02 reductions. Due to restrictions on the roof area the 11

available area will be around 550m2. The possible cost and energy savings within this report will be based on an assessment period of 20 years. This is due to the reduction guaranteed payback period was reduced from 25 years to 20 years (Central Government, 2012).

The installation of Photovoltaic’s will be around £400 per m2 (Spons, 2010), providing a capital expenditure of around £220,000. With the use of the MCIS web based feed in tariff calculator (Appendices1), this system will provide an annual cost saving of around £22,500, providing a projected 20 year cost benefit of around £450,000. This includes a 25% saving on energy consumption within Ellison Building. The installation of solar panels could see a possible saving in CO2 emissions of around 50 tonnes annually. The Feed in tariffs used are subject to a government review which will be released in the near future.

Part of this evaluation was to identify the possible installation of Photovoltaic’s on the external elevations, although this could provide further carbon reductions and additional income from feed in tariffs, the addition of solar panels would affect the aesthetics of the building and would detract from the overall design and impact achieved.

Image 13, typical installation of solar panels (Eco House, n.d.)

Renewable Heat Incentives The renewable Heat Incentive is a Government incentive scheme, which assists organisations with funding and feed in tariffs for the installation green technologies.

The feed in tariffs differ depending upon the technology utilised, but payments are made every 3 months for a period of 20 years, which is also inflation linked. The grants available for installation costs also vary depending upon the technology utilised and only becomes available after the installation of the system. The possibility of an additional income over a 20 year period and the provision government grants to assist with installation costs has been factored in with this proposed refurbishment (Central Government, 2011).

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Lighting Existing Lighting The existing lighting within Ellison building is a mixture of fluorescent lighting as per Image 14 fixed to plasterboard ceilings, hanging down fluorescent as per image 15 and recessed lighting fixed within suspended ceilings as per image 16. The lighting controls are manually operated by switches located within various positions within the rooms.

Image 14, typical fluorescent lighting.

Image 15, hanging fluorescent lighting.

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Image 16 recessed lighting.

Proposed Lighting General classrooms and lecture rooms.

Within this refurbishment the existing lighting within the general classrooms will need to be adequate for the following lighting requirements Table 1 Lighting Recommendations (CIBSE, 2002, p.57)

Item

Description Classrooms, tutorial 1 rooms 2 Writing, typing, reading, IT 3 Technical Drawings

Maintained Limiting luminance Glare (Lux) Rating 300 500 750

19 19 16

Min Colour Rendering (Ra) 80 80 80

With the above requirements in mind it is planned to utilise high powered sodium lighting, this has good efficiency and lamp light with an average life 24000 hours, the colour rendering is 60-85 so is within the above guidelines. To standardise the installation and to aid in the overall design requirements all lighting will be recessed within a suspended grid to prevent the possibility of sound transfer and to aid in the contemporary design, this will also increase efficiency on site to reduce the overall programme.

Kitchen and Toilets Within commercial kitchens lighting will have to have an IP code or international protection rating, this rating classifies the degree of protection against water, which in this case could result in the formation on condensation on the light fittings due to the build-up of steam within the kitchen area. The recommendation of this report would be to install IP65 linear luminaries recessed into the ceiling to prevent condensation build up around the perimeter of 14

the light fitting. This type of lighting will also be located within the toilet areas, although this wouldn’t normally be a requirement, this adds a certain amount of future proofing of these areas if in future there may be a requirement to install additional shower units.

Lighting Controls Electronic lighting control systems will be utilised within this refurbishment to increase the energy efficiency of the overall design. The use of occupancy sensing lighting controls will be utilised throughout the project, but in certain areas there will be an allowance for manually operated switches, this will be installed in areas where sensors may not respond due to lack of movement within the occupied space i.e. meeting rooms etc. This is to prevent the lighting turning off automatically when the rooms are occupied. This system will also be used in conjunction with daylight sensors to adjust the required lighting levels as daylight increases; this will prevent energy wastage (BSRIA, 2005).

Conclusion This refurbishment has been based on Northumbria Universities requirements to be more environmentally friendly, whilst being at the cutting edge of design. The use of green technologies within this refurbishment could see the potential reduction of Carbon emissions of approximately 5000 tonnes per year. Offsite construction will be utilised to reduce the time on site to speed up the construction process and to reduce disruption to students. The use of BMS will utilise efficiency of all systems installed to reduce energy costs and C02 emissions.

Within the design, an ethos of clean lines and duplication of design across all areas to promote uniformity and speed of construction.

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References Aksamija, A., 2013. Sustainable Facades : Design Methods for High-Performance Building Envelope. London: E:Book. Available at: http://northumbria.eblib.com/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=1161961 [accessed 12 November 2014].

BSRIA, 2005. Illustrated Guide to Electrical Building Services. 2nd ed. London: Multiplex Medway Ltd. Central Government, 2011. Renewabl Heat Incentive. [Online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/increasing-the-use-of-low-carbontechnologies/supporting-pages/renewable-heat-incentive-rhi [Accessed 10 December 2010].

CIBSE, 2002. Code For Lighting. London: Butterworth-Heiemann.

CIBSE, 2005. Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration. 1st ed. London: CIBSE Publications.

CIBSE, 2007. Natural Ventilation in Non-Domestic Buildings. 2nd ed. London: CIBSE Publications.

CIBSE, 2009. Building Control Systems. 2nd ed. London: Page Bros.

CIBSE, 2012. Energy Efficency in Buildings. 1st ed. London: CIBSE Publications.

Concrete Thinker, 2007. Thermal Mass. [Online] Available at: http://www.concretethinker.com/solutions/Thermal-Mass.aspx [Accessed 29 November 2014].

Eco House, n.d. Eco House Solar. [Online] Available at: http://www.ecohousesolar.co.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2010/01/Photovoltaic-Panels.jpg [Accessed 10 December 2014].

Energy Group, 2013. Combined Heat and Power. [Online] Available at: (http://www.energgroup.com/combined-heat-and-power/information-centre/case-studies/liverpool-museum/) [Accessed 2 November 2014].

ENOB, 2007. New Technologies. [Online] Available at: http://www.enob.info/en/newtechnologies/projects/details/climate-active-heat-storage-in-construction-materials/ [Accessed 2 December 2014].

Google, n.d. Google Images. [Online] Available at: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=northumbria+university+ellison+building&biw=1280&bih =542&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=8yLZVNT5IOqv7Aax8oDQAQ&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ _AUoAg#imgdii=_&imgrc=RRXy2lUazS4vM%253A%3BKWg2fzMjy3bmQM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fs0.geograph.org.u [Accessed 9 Feburary 2015].

Local Government, 2012. Climate Change. [Online] Available at: www.local.gov.uk/climatechange/-/journal_content/56/10180/3510666/ARTICLE#sthash.jOq6GiS6.dpuf [Accessed 2 November 2014].

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MCIS, n.d. Easy MCS. [Online] Available at: https://www.easy-mcs.com/myaccreditation.html [Accessed 3 January 2015].

Northumbria University, n.d. Sustainability Information. [Online] Available at: https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/sustainability-information [Accessed 2 November 2014].

Pilkington , 2013. Pilkington UK. [Online] Available at: http://www.pilkington.com/en-GB/uk [Accessed 29 November 2014].

Pleat Farm, 2010. dynamic-facade-design-kiefer-technic-showroom. [Online] Available at: http:www.pleatfarm.com/2010/01/18/dynamic-facade-design-kiefer-technic-showroom/ [Accessed 29 November 2014].

Power, A., 2009. Housing and Sustainability. Urban Design and Planning, 163(DP4), p.205.

Quacquarelli Symonds, n.d. Top Universities. [Online] [Accessed 8 December 2014].

REUK, 2006. Under Floor Heating. [Online] Available at: http://www.reuk.co.uk/Under-FloorHeating.htm [Accessed 19 December 2014].

Spons, 2010. Mechanical and Electrical Services Price Book. 41st ed. london: Spons Press.

UK Images, 2013. UK Images. [Online] Available at: https://uk.images.search.yahoo.com/images/view; [Accessed 17 December 2014].

Vernikos, V.K., Nelson, R., Goodier, C.I. & Robery, P.C., 2013. Implementing an Offsite Construction Strategy. Case Study. London: Arcom.

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Appendices 1 MCIS website Calculator (MCIS, n.d.).

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Appendices 2 District Heating Case studies (Local Government, 2012).

Payback periods and savings District heating networks are long-term projects with long-term paybacks. They are unlikely to be suited to short-term investors. The biggest cost of district heating is the investment required to establish the pipe network. The payback period for this can often exceed the lifetime of the boiler or combined heat and power (CHP) engine.

However, this does not mean that such schemes are not viable. Once established, the pipe network will remain a working asset for many decades. Boilers and CHP engines can be replaced. The following examples demonstrate the payback times for different district heating schemes.

Example 1: Paddock House Farm, Sicklinghall, Wetherby A 150kW wood fuelled heating system was installed to heat several new-build offices buildings and onsite houses. The installation heats a total area of 1,250m 2. The cost of the boiler was around £20,000 the cost of the infrastructure (pipework, heat meters and so on) totalled £8,000 the payback on capital costs is expected within five years. For more information on this case study, please see this guide: Wood fuel heating in the north of England: A practical guide, National Nonfood Crops Centre (2005) Using an Energy Service Company (ESCo) Another way of financing a district heating scheme can be through the development of an Energy Service Company (ESCo). The next four examples demonstrate how using an ESCo reduces the payback period.

Example 2: commercial development a development comprised of a supermarket, hotel, leisure centre (with swimming pool) and eight smaller retail units (total of 76,200m2). The ESCo was owned wholly by the CHP asset owner. Energy supply contracts were available for the supermarket, hotel and leisure centre. Initial investment was £2,000,000 the investment was recouped by the revenue generated by supplying the onsite buildings.

Example 3: mixed use development this development comprised 500 houses together with a school, leisure centre (with swimming pool) and community hall. The ESCo was owned by the developer (90 per cent) and the CHP owner (10 per cent). Energy supply contracts were available for the school, leisure centre and community hall. Additional water and media (TV, phone and broadband) services were offered. Initial investment for infrastructure was £1,330,000 the payback period was seven years.

Example 4: larger residential development. This development was largely residential, comprising of 1,950 flats and commercial space (91,440m2). The ESCo was owned by the developer (90 per cent) and the CHP owner (10 per cent). Additional water and media (TV, phone and broadband) services were offered. initial infrastructure costs were £5,100,000 the payback period is two years the ESCo makes an annual profit of £450,000. For more information on these examples please see the: Developer's guide to maximising profit from CHP, asset utilities (accessed 2010) (PDF, 11 pages, 977KB) Two additional examples have been calculated for developments at the very limit of the recommended dwelling density.

These were calculated using the Simple Payback approach as recommended by DECC. They are not based on built examples and should provide readers with indicative payback periods.

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