A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
What next for energy-related building regulations?: the occupancy phase
Building regulations are important policy instruments for increasing building energy efficiency. However, when it comes to actual energy use, studies have shown that improvements in building energy efficiency are offset by changes in the inhabitants’ comfort practices. Nevertheless, the improvement of energy efficiency continues to be a cornerstone in building regulations, with no consideration of how this simultaneously influences everyday practices. The example of Danish building regulations, which are among the strictest in Europe, is critically reviewed for the implications regulatory design can have for reducing energy consumption. Based on readings of policy documents, consultancy reports and research papers from the last two decades, this paper outlines where things go amiss during a building’s lifetime if a user perspective is excluded. The focus is on three phases: the development of new building technologies, the design and construction of buildings, and occupancy. The question of how building regulations could be redesigned to regulate energy use better is explored, along with what research and strategies are needed within four domains: developing alternative measures to energy per square meter; developing more advanced models simulating occupancy; improving feedback technologies’ usability; and the increased use of commissioning and post-occupancy evaluations.
What next for energy-related building regulations?: the occupancy phase
Building regulations are important policy instruments for increasing building energy efficiency. However, when it comes to actual energy use, studies have shown that improvements in building energy efficiency are offset by changes in the inhabitants’ comfort practices. Nevertheless, the improvement of energy efficiency continues to be a cornerstone in building regulations, with no consideration of how this simultaneously influences everyday practices. The example of Danish building regulations, which are among the strictest in Europe, is critically reviewed for the implications regulatory design can have for reducing energy consumption. Based on readings of policy documents, consultancy reports and research papers from the last two decades, this paper outlines where things go amiss during a building’s lifetime if a user perspective is excluded. The focus is on three phases: the development of new building technologies, the design and construction of buildings, and occupancy. The question of how building regulations could be redesigned to regulate energy use better is explored, along with what research and strategies are needed within four domains: developing alternative measures to energy per square meter; developing more advanced models simulating occupancy; improving feedback technologies’ usability; and the increased use of commissioning and post-occupancy evaluations.
What next for energy-related building regulations?: the occupancy phase
Gram-Hanssen, Kirsten (author) / Georg, Susse (author) / Christiansen, Ellen (author) / Heiselberg, Per (author)
Building Research & Information ; 46 ; 790-803
2018-10-03
14 pages
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
What next for energy-related building regulations?: the occupancy phase
| British Library Online Contents | 2018
What next for energy-related building regulations?: the occupancy phase
| British Library Online Contents | 2018
Future changes to the Building Regulations – next steps
Emerald Group Publishing | 2011
Temporal Visualization of Building Occupancy Phase
| British Library Conference Proceedings | 2007
Temporal Visualization of Building Occupancy Phase
| ASCE | 2007