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Life cycle assessment enables the identification of a broad range of potential environmental impacts occurring across the entire life of a product, from its design through to its eventual disposal or reuse. The need for life cycle assessment to inform environmental design within the built environment is critical, due to the complex range of materials and processes required to construct and manage our buildings and infrastructure systems. After outlining the framework for life cycle assessment, this book uses a range of case studies to demonstrate the innovative input-output-based hybrid approach for compiling a life cycle inventory. This approach enables a comprehensive analysis of a broad range of resource requirements and environmental outputs so that the potential environmental impacts of a building or infrastructure system can be ascertained. These case studies cover a range of elements that are part of the built environment, including a residential building, a commercial office building and a wind turbine, as well as individual building components such as a residential-scale photovoltaic system. Comprehensively introducing and demonstrating the uses and benefits of life cycle assessment for built environment projects, this book will show you how to assess the environmental performance of your clients' projects, to compare design options across their entire life and to identify opportunities for improving environmental performance.

Understanding how Building Environmental Assessments Tools (BEATs) measure and define “environmental” building is of great interest to many stakeholders, but it is difficult to understand how BEATs relate to each other, as well as to make detailed and systematic tool comparisons. A framework for comparing BEATs is presented in the following which facilitates an understanding and comparison of similarities and differences in terms of structure, content, aggregation, and scope. The framework was tested by comparing three distinctly different assessment tools; LEED-NC v3, Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH), and EcoEffect. Illustrations of the hierarchical structure of the tools gave a clear overview of their structural differences. When using the framework, the analysis showed that all three tools treat issues related to the main assessment categories: Energy and Pollution, Indoor Environment, and Materials and Waste. However, the environmental issues addressed, and the parameters defining the object of study, differ and, subsequently, so do rating, results, categories, issues, input data, aggregation methodology, and weighting. This means that BEATs measure “environmental” building differently and push “environmental” design in different directions. Therefore, tool comparisons are important, and the framework can be used to make these comparisons in a more detailed and systematic way.

Under the label “future-proofing”, this paper examines the temporal component of sustainable construction as an unexplored, yet fundamental ingredient in the delivery of low-energy domestic buildings. The overarching aim is to explore the integration of future-proofed design approaches into current mainstream construction practice in the UK, focusing on the example of the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) tool. Regulation has been the most significant driver for achieving the 2016 zero-carbon target; however, there is a gap between the appeal for future-proofing and the lack of effective implementation by building professionals. Even though the CSH was introduced as the leading tool to drive the “step-change” required for achieving zero-carbon new homes by 2016 and the single national standard to encourage energy performance beyond current statutory minima, it lacks assessment criteria that explicitly promote a futures perspective. Based on an established conceptual model of future-proofing, 14 interviews with building practitioners in the UK were conducted to identify the “feasible” and “reasonably feasible” future-proofed design approaches with the potential to enhance the “Energy and CO2 Emissions” category of the CSH. The findings are categorised under three key aspects; namely: coverage of sustainability issues; adopting lifecycle thinking; and accommodating risks and uncertainties and seek to inform industry practice and policy-making in relation to building energy performance.

This paper investigates ‘future-proofing’ as an unexplored yet all-important aspect in the design of low-energy dwellings. It refers particularly to adopting lifecycle thinking and accommodating risks and uncertainties in the selection of fabric energy efficiency measures and low or zero-carbon technologies. Based on a conceptual framework for future-proofed design, the paper first presents results from the analysis of two ‘best practice’ housing developments in England; i.e., North West Cambridge in Cambridge and West Carclaze and Baal in St. Austell, Cornwall. Second, it examines the ‘Energy and CO2 Emissions’ part of the Code for Sustainable Homes to reveal which design criteria and assessment methods can be practically integrated into this established building certification scheme so that it can become more dynamic and future-oriented. Practical application: Future-proofed construction is promoted implicitly within the increasingly stringent building regulations; however, there is no comprehensive method to readily incorporate futures thinking into the energy design of buildings. This study has a three-fold objective of relevance to the building industry: Illuminating the two key categories of long-term impacts in buildings, which are often erroneously treated interchangeably: – The environmental impact of buildings due to their long lifecycles. – The environment’s impacts on buildings due to risks and uncertainties affecting the energy consumption by at least 2050. This refers to social, technological, economic, environmental and regulatory (predictable or unknown) trends and drivers of change, such as climate uncertainty, home-working, technology readiness etc. Encouraging future-proofing from an early planning stage to reduce the likelihood of a prematurely obsolete building design. Enhancing established building energy assessment methods (certification, modelling or audit tools) by integrating a set of future-oriented criteria into their methodologies.

Windows are extremely useful multi-function devices which provide views, ventilation and passive solar gain, a means of escape, security and daylight gain. However, they can have a negative impact on a home's energy efficiency, particularly when the window area is large, and play a significant role in determining the heating and cooling load of a building. It has been estimated that around 47% of the heat lost from building envelop occurs through windows. This paper summarizes the impact of the Low Carbon Homes Program in terms of future requirements and areas of future research for windows' performance and investigates new window technologies that could help to meet these requirements.

This paper describes the methodological approach for development, application and analysis of findings from an interactive user-friendly Sustainability Appraisal Toolkit (SAT) developed to facilitate the assessment of the energy and carbon impact and financial viability of achieving higher levels of the Code for Sustainable Homes. SAT runs on MS-Excel and is used to evaluate the technical feasibility of achieving Code levels 4, 5 and 6 for a representative sample of newly built dwellings in UK for different scales of development. A range of strategies are evaluated on both demand and supply sides of energy to meet different code levels. The research emphasizes the importance of maximizing energy efficiency improvements to the fabric and form of a dwelling, before adding low/zero carbon systems, and promotes a ‘low-energy first and then low-carbon’ approach.

Purpose - The purpose of the paper is to report research conducted to explore the insights of UK architects on the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) in relation to low carbon housing design and delivery.Design methodology approach - To explore the awareness and knowledge of CSH in low carbon housing design and delivery in the UK, a mixed method approach comprising of interviews with architects in practice and academia were combined with questionnaires to UK sustainable architectural practices.Findings - The results confirmed that, although UK architects are aware of CSH, it is only very few (11.8 per cent), who have the expert knowledge. This is in comparison to 52.9 per cent of those with some knowledge, and 35.3 per cent of those who are very knowledgeable in the use and implementation of CSH to design and deliver low carbon new homes in the UK.Research limitations implications - The findings of this study are based only on the sustainable architects in the UK, therefore the findings may not represent the view of other constructional professionals in the UK.Practical implications - The research focused on investigating the judging criteria and opinions of architects who are strongly identified with sustainable housing design practices in the UK. It explores the insights of architects on the CSH, because their knowledge, use and implementation of it, along with other information on low carbon housing design, from the onset determines how soon zero carbon homes in the UK can be achieved; leading towards tackling energy use in the UK and on a wider level, the European commitment reduction of energy consumption.Originality value - The paper is able to expose the weakness of architects in the use of information that is not represented graphically, pictorially or in the recognised Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) plan of work stages familiar to architects and the general construction industry in the UK.

Section 3 relates to new dwellings up to three storeys in height, with principles, processes and up‐to‐date examples demonstrating site practices and procedures that have been developed by the author as a practising building‐control surveyor. The text is supplemented by diagrams and tables that aid clarity and understanding of both the Building Regulations 2010 and Approved Documents 2010; this includes structure; fire safety and means of escape; resistance to the passage of moisture, condensation and contaminates; sound insulation; ventilation; water sanitation, hot‐water safety and water efficiency; drainage systems; combustion appliances; stairs and guarding; energy conservation/green building issues; Energy Performance Certificates; the Code for Sustainable Homes; PassivHaus; disabled access and lifetime homes; safety glazing; electrical safety; and materials and workmanship.

Accurate electricity consumption forecasting in residential buildings has a direct impact on energy efficiency and cost management, making it a critical component of sustainable energy practices. Decision tree-based ensemble learning techniques are particularly effective for this task due to their ability to process complex datasets with high accuracy. Furthermore, incorporating explainable artificial intelligence into these predictions provides clarity and interpretability, allowing energy managers and homeowners to make informed decisions that optimize usage and reduce costs. This study comparatively analyzes decision tree–ensemble learning techniques augmented with explainable artificial intelligence for transparency and interpretability in residential building energy consumption forecasting. This approach employs the University Residential Complex and Appliances Energy Prediction datasets, data preprocessing, and decision-tree bagging and boosting methods. The superior model is evaluated using the Shapley additive explanations method within the explainable artificial intelligence framework, explaining the influence of input variables and decision-making processes. The analysis reveals the significant influence of the temperature-humidity index and wind chill temperature on short-term load forecasting, transcending traditional parameters, such as temperature, humidity, and wind speed. The complete study and source code have been made available on our GitHub repository at https://github.com/sodayeong for the purpose of enhancing precision and interpretability in energy system management, thereby promoting transparency and enabling replication.

This paper investigates the electricity consumption of 150 Kuwaiti residential villas located in Kuwait’s six governorates. The data collection is based on monthly electricity meter readings, collected directly from photographs of the sample of villas’ analog electricity meters, between 2018 and 2023. Most available previous studies, reviewed in this paper, not only relied mainly on secondary aggregated data of annual electricity consumption in villas but also from smaller samples located in some but not all of Kuwait’s governorates. The current paper is, therefore, based on a study that is the first of its kind in Kuwait, as it relies on primary data with a high level of granularity based on monthly meter readings for a large sample of villas. Average daily electricity consumption and overall average monthly electricity consumption from samples located in each governorate are presented. The data analyses reveal that the daily electricity consumption in Kuwaiti villas is almost five times higher at the beginning of summer than in winter, indicating the high load required from the electricity grid in Kuwait and the large subsidies provided by the government. Furthermore, the paper investigates whether there are any common characteristics between the villas with high monthly electricity consumption in the sample. Correlations between villas’ monthly electricity consumption and their governorate location, year of construction, number of floors, number of occupants, plot size, and compliance with various editions of the Kuwait Energy Conservation Code of Practice for Buildings ECCPB were found. The results reveal that 80% of these villas had plot sizes greater than 400 m2, 74% of these villas were built in 1996 or later, and 63% of these villas had occupants greater than seven. This paper highlights the need to carry out further research to understand the drivers of electricity consumption, including occupants’ behavioral aspects, to inform the development of futures strategies that address the ever-increasing electricity consumption in Kuwait’s heavily subsidized residential sector and meet the target goals of the United Nations 2023 Kuwait’s Voluntary National Review VNR.