Andy van den Dobbelsteen

Energy Potential Mapping for Energy-Producing Neighborhoods

Over the past five years, the method of energy potential mapping (EPM) has evolved from a cartoonish charting of climatic features with energy consequences to a detailed methodology for the development of spatial plans based on energy-effective foundations. By means of EPM the rudimentary features and properties of an area are analyzed, made discrete and translated into maps of the specific area (be it a region, city, district or neighbourhood) depicting potentials for energy supply and generation. In the latest studies in accordance with EPM, these energy potential maps are presented as a stack at different heights (above the surface) and depths (underground), showing the maximum potential of an area. Based on these, a proposal can be made for the spatial organization of the area. In the full paper we will discuss the methodology of EPM and exemplify the method by means of recent studies, in particular De Groene Compagnie (‘The Green Campaign’), a new development area in the north of the Netherlands, whi...

Towards a Spatial Planning Framework for Climate Adaptation

Scientific literature on climate adaptation has mainly dealt with definition studies. Some of these studies aim to clarify and define terms such as vulnerability, resilience or adaptive capacity (e.g. Folke et al., Ecology and Society, 15:20, 2010; Walker et al., Ecology and Society, 9:5, 2004; Walker and Salt, Resilience Thinking, 2006; Adger et al., Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007). Another group of scholars studied uncertainty and climate change adaptation (e.g. Dessai and Hulme, Global Environmental Change, 17:59, 2007; Dessai and Van der Sluijs, Uncertainty and Climate Change Adaptation—A Scoping Study, 2007; Kabat, Should the uncertainty in climate scenarios limit adaptation? 2008; Mearns, Climatic Change 100:77, 2010; Meyer, Climatic Change, 2011). Others focused on specific hazards and assessed their risks (e.g. Jones, Natural Hazards, 23:197, 2001; Handmer, Climate Change, Adaptive Capacity and Development, 2003; Downing et al., Climate, Change and Risk, 1999; Beer, World Resources Review, 9:113, 1997). Finally, a share of scientific papers focused on governance and ways to respond to the impacts of climate change (e.g. Adger et al., Adapting to Climate Change: Thresholds, Values, Governance, 2009; Olsson et al., Ecology and Society, 11:18, 2006). Only a limited number of research projects focus on spatial planning for climate adaptation. It is illustrative that ‘the Earthscan reader on Adaptation to Climate Change’ (Schipper and Burton, 2009) fails to include a chapter on spatial planning. Even ‘Planning for Climate Change’ (Davoudi et al., 2009], a major work taking planning as the major theme mainly focuses on processes, policies and specific topics, such as transport. The predominant part of this book focuses on mitigation; only a few pieces cover spatial planning, urban form or urban design. With the exception of Wilson (Planning for Climate Change; Strategies for Mitigation and Adaptation for Spatial Planners, 2009), these parts are mainly oriented on cities and urban areas. So far, there is only one book that specifically positions climate adaptation as a challenge for spatial planning (Roggema, Adaptation to climate Change: A Spatial Challenge, 2009).

Energy Potential Mapping: Visualising Energy Characteristics for the Exergetic Optimisation of the Built Environment

It is difficult to fully satisfy the energy demand of today’s society with renewables. Nevertheless, most of the energy we use is lost as non-functional waste energy, whereas a large part of the built environment’s energy demand is only for low-quality energy, so the initial demand for primary, high-quality energy can be reduced by more effective usage, such as by low-exergy means. Gaining insight into the parameters of energy demands and local renewable and residual energy potentials enables matching energy demand with a fitting potential, not only concerning quantity but taking into account location, temporality and quality as well. The method of Energy Potential Mapping (EPM) aims to visualise the energy potentials and demands by making information of quantity, quality and location of demand and supply accessible. The aspect of quality specifically applies to heat and cold. The methodology of EPM will be described and explained with case studies. The focus specifically lies on mapping heat (and cold), one of the main reasons for energy demand in the built environment. The visualisation of exergy, to be simplified as the quality of energy, becomes an extra parameter in the case of Dutch Heat Maps. These maps can help finding opportunities of practical implementations of exchanging or cascading heat or cold. This way EPM and Heat Mapping (HM) enables application of exergy principles in the built environment. EPM and HM can be seen as a local energy catalogue and can be useful in spatial planning for energy-based urban and rural plans.

Sustainable design of supporting structures

Purpose – In order to establish sustainable development, there is a need to focus on solutions effectively improving environmental performance. Effectiveness is the product of significance and improvement potential. For buildings, the supporting structure is the predominant environmental load by materials, hence significant. The purpose of the studies presented in this paper is to determine the improvement potential of the supporting structure of buildings and explore other sustainable solutions effectively enhancing environmental performance.Design/methodology/approach – For the same office layout, various combinations of structural components at different spans were studied. The environmental load of these variants was determined by means of an life cycle analysis (LCA)‐based model.Findings – The studies presented in the paper demonstrated an environmental difference by a factor of 5 between the solutions performing worst and best. The optimal combination is the uncommon solution of TT‐slabs with timber...

Surface thermal analysis of North Brabant cities and neighbourhoods during heat waves

The urban heat island effect is often associated with large metropolises. However, in the Netherlands even small cities will be affected by the phenomenon in the future (Hove et al., 2011), due to the dispersed or mosaic urbanisation patterns in particularly the southern part of the country: the province of North Brabant. This study analyses the average night time land surface temperature (LST) of 21 North-Brabant urban areas through 22 satellite images retrieved by Modis 11A1 during the 2006 heat wave and uses Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper to map albedo and normalized difference temperature index (NDVI) values. Albedo, NDVI and imperviousness are found to play the most relevant role in the increase of night-time LST. The surface cover cluster analysis of these three parameters reveals that the 12 “urban living environment” categories used in the region of North Brabant can actually be reduced to 7 categories, which simplifies the design guidelines to improve the surface thermal behaviour of the different neighbourhoods thus reducing the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect in existing medium size cities and future developments adjacent to those cities.

Is Higher Education Economically Unsustainable?: An Exploration of Factors that Undermine Sustainability Assessments of Higher Education

Abstract As students continue to review the sustainability of higher education institutions, there is a growing need to understand the economic returns of degrees as a function of a sustainable institution. This paper reviews a range of international research to summarize the economic drivers of higher education attainment. Although the cost inputs to higher education are fairly well understood, the economic return of a degree is not. Students misperception of economic returns coupled with a dynamic definition of employability create the framework for unsustainable debt loads for graduates. This paper proposes three metrics that can be used to assess the economic sustainability of students graduating higher education that can be used to supplement the broader definition of sustainability within higher education.

Cities as Organisms

Since the UN report by the Brundtland Committee, sustainability in the built environment has mainly been seen from a technical focus on single buildings or products. With the energy efficiency approaching 100%, fossil resources depleting and a considerable part of the world still in need of better prosperity, the playing field of a technical focus has become very limited. It will most probably not lead to the sustainable development needed to avoid irreversible effects on climate, energy provision and, not least, society.

A review of green systems within the indoor environment

This paper reviews the state of art of vegetation systems and their effect on the indoor environmental quality (IEQ), based on scientific studies from the past 30 years. Some studies have shown that biophilic workspaces and interaction with plants may change human attitudes, behaviours, improve productivity and the overall well-being. Evapotranspiration from plants helps lowering the temperature around the planting environment and this can be utilised for air cooling and humidity control. Also, indoor greenery can be used to reduce sound levels as a passive acoustic insulation system. Living wall systems in combination with biofiltration are emerging technologies to provide beneficial effects on improvement of indoor comfort. Several studies have indicated that green systems may improve indoor air quality and that they have different pathways for pollutant removal of volatile organic compounds. The plant root zone in potted plants may be an effective area for removing volatile organic compounds under controlled conditions. In conclusion, the full capacity of plants in real-life settings will need to be clarified to establish the true pollutant-removal mechanisms and the general effect on IEQ. The effects of green systems in combination with mechanical elements such as conventional heating, ventilation and air conditioning would need to be studied.

Selection Support Framework Fostering Resilience Based on Neighbourhood Typologies

Selecting climate adaptation measures through a straightforward approach: that is possible with the selection support framework presented in this paper. The framework results from Dutch urban design studies aiming to adapt to climate change. The framework includes adaptation measures for eight neighbourhood typologies on the scale of a street, square or building block. Numerous case studies provided input for the selection support framework. Based on this scientific work the framework provides an easy indication of climate adaptation opportunities, with focus on heat, and can be adapted to fit typical neighbourhoods in any country. The selection support framework enables urban professionals to select a set of climate adaptation solutions tailored to typical characteristics of a neighbourhood typology.

Economic factors for successful net-zero energy refurbishment of Dutch terraced houses

There are many smart technological solutions on the market for the zero energy refurbishment of the current building stock. The Delft University of Technology developed a zero energy renovation concept addressing 1.4 million post-war Dutch terraced houses: Prêt-à-Loger. By applying an integrated external renovation system (called the skin), the house becomes energy neutral while at the same time the living quality and the durability of the house are improved. This non-invasive renovation is designed to be applied to multiple houses. The project competed at the Solar Decathlon Europe 2014, winning five prizes, among which the first in sustainability. However, the team did not stop there; research continued in order to apply the concept in practice. Despite the easy and fast applicability, the financial aspect still presents a barrier for largescale implementation. This paper addresses the economic factors that can activate the investment on energy neutral house refurbishments. It summarizes the outcome of a one year interaction with public and local authorities, private companies, research institutes and end-users. The conditions created today by local subsidies and regulations for investments to take place are also addressed. Finally, the aspects that increase the value of the house, stimulating the investment are analysed.