Edward Halawa

What is an intelligent building? Analysis of recent interpretations from an international perspective

In recent years, the notion of intelligent buildings (IBs) has become increasingly popular due to their potentials for deploying design initiatives and emerging technologies towards maximized occupants’ comfort and well-being with sustainable design. However, various definitions, interpretations, and implications regarding the essence of IBs exist. Various key performance indicators of IBs have been proposed in different contexts. This study explores the notion of IBs and presents an analysis of their main constituents. Through a comparison of these constituents in different contexts, this study aims to extract the common features of IBs leading to an evolved definition which could be useful as a reference framework for design, evaluation, and development of future IBs. Findings also scrutinize the long run benefits of IBs, while demonstrating the constraints and challenges of the current international interpretations.

The Potential of Concentrated Solar Power for Remote Mine Sites in the Northern Territory, Australia

The Northern Territory (NT) is among the regions in Australia and the world with the highest solar radiation intensities. The NT has many mine sites which consume significant amount of fossil fuel with consequent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The environmental concern related to the fossil fuel consumption and availability of immense solar energy resource in the NT open the possibilities for considering the provision of power to the mining sites using proven solar technologies. Concentrating solar power (CSP) systems are deemed as the potential alternatives to current fossil fuel based generating systems in mining industry in the NT. The finding is based on consideration of the major factors in determining the feasibility of CSP system installation, with particular reference to the NT mine sites. These are plant design requirements, climatic, environmental, and other requirements, and capital and operating costs. Based on these factors, four mine sites have been identified as having the potential for CSP plants installation. These are McArthur River Mine, Ranger Mine, Northern Territory Gold Mines, and Tanami Operations. Each site could be served by one CSP plant to cater for the needs of mining operation and the local communities.

Pathways for optimal provision of thermal comfort and sustainability of residential housing in hot and humid tropics of Australia: a critical review

The optimal provision of thermal comfort and energy efficiency for residential housing in the hot and humid tropics presents challenges and opportunities for housing and subdivision designs. Climatic challenges come in the form of high ambient temperature and humidity, especially during the wet season and transition periods. On the other hand, climatic advantages come in the form of breezes coupled with relatively dry air during the dry season, enabling thermal comfort attainment through natural ventilation that employs prevailing breezes. This paper discusses existing design practices for housing and subdivisions in the hot and humid tropics with particular reference to the city of Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory. This includes several research issues and gaps that have been identified and need to be addressed. The paper also critically assesses how air speed, air temperature and humidity – three of the thermal comfort parameters – play a key role in housing and subdivision design consideration in the hot and humid tropics. In doing so, the paper sheds light on the inadequacy of the current residential energy rating methodology as a tool for assessing tropical housing performance and proposes a new direction for future research to ameliorate these issues for the tropics.

Sustainable Subdivision Design and Energy Consumption of Households in the Hot and Humid Tropical Climate of Darwin

This paper examines the relationship between sustainable subdivision design principals, local microclimate, and household electricity consumption. The energy-efficient subdivision design principals, energy consumption, and adjustment behaviour of 36 households were investigated in two suburbs of the city of Darwin. The participating households completed a questionnaire on family structure, thermal preferences, and behavioural adjustment to the indoor environment. Electricity consumption of households was recorded at 30-min intervals from Nov 2015 to Aug 2016. The Muirhead suburb, designed with energy-efficiency and climate-responsive design principals, has 16.9 lots per ha in dense areas and a minimum lot area of 450 m2. Another suburb, Lyons, has 14.4 lots per ha and a minimum lot area of 525 m2. Households were divided by lot areas into three categories: category 1 (450–610 m2), category 2 (611–710 m2), and category 3 (>710 m2). In Muirhead, the average daily consumption of category one household in the warmer wet season was 98 Wh/m2 per person compared to 154 Wh/m2pp in Lyons. In the cooler, dry season 48 Wh/m2pp in Muirhead and 87 Wh/m2pp in Lyons. The cooling load calculated using multiple regression analysis showed that the main difference in energy consumption between two suburbs was in the base load. Thus, the energy-efficiency and climate-responsive design principals, applied to the subdivision, mitigate the impact of urban heat on cooling energy consumption in the hot and humid climate of Darwin. These are preliminary results and further investigation of the factors that have an impact on energy consumption of participating households is continuing.