Kenneth Ip

Responding to Technological Change: IT Skills and the Academic Teaching Profession

Six academics in a new university were seconded to the role of part-time learning technology support. It was necessary to have an informed view of the IT skills level of all academic teaching staff. A selfassessment questionnaire was designed based on the core competencies in the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL). The results were used to offer a targeted pilot of a new online learning training method. Results showed considerable diversity in the range of IT skills. Over half (55%) of the staff could not use a range of IT software at a prescribed benchmark level. Staff were more likely to be skilled at word-processing and Internet tasks (average score above the benchmark) and less likely to be competent with presentations, spreadsheets and databases (average score below the benchmark). Staff working in science-based subjects tended to score higher. As a result of the survey, some staff were offered an online basic skills training programme. Staff liked the flexibility of this, but also found that they needed personal support and encouragement. It is necessary to raise the profile of IT skills and to argue for their relevance. A range of training opportunities is needed that will assist the needs and motivations of staff. Staff prefer training that they see as relevant to their subject area and professional context. Online software skills training does not provide a single solution, but can add an additional method that will appeal to some learners.

Sustainable construction materials

This chapter identifies the means by which construction materials can be evaluated with respect to their sustainability. It identifies the key issues that impact on the sustainability of construction materials and the methodologies commonly used to assess them. Examples of sustainable materials are used to identify their potential use in construction. Learning outcomes: on successful completion of this chapter, readers will be able to: (1) appreciate the role and impact of building materials within a building’s life cycle; (2) comprehend the concepts of embodied energy, gross energy requirement (GER), and process energy requirement (PER); (3) have knowledge of renewable materials and how they are grown, processed, and used as building components; and (4) have an appreciation of sustainable construction materials in the context of green building assessment methods.

Theoretical and experimental unsteady-state thermal behaviour of domestic solar water heating

This paper deals with the study of a thermal solar system. The thermal behaviour is investigated in an unsteady state with regard to the intermittency of sunlight. Modelling of this system was carried out taking into account a global approach to make an energy balance for each component of the thermal solar system. This method allows us to quantify the dynamics of each element of the solar system by using the Simulink® tool in the Matlab® environment for the resolution of this knowledge model. The theoretical results obtained are compared with the results of experiments on a solar pilot mounted in the laboratory. The solar pilot is instrumented in order to measure the evolution of the different temperatures as well as the solar radiation intensity. The model presented in this paper is validated by comparing the simulation results with the measurement data obtained from the experimental set-up.

Potential of Solar Thermal Storage Using Phase Change Materials in the UK

Publisher Summary This chapter summarizes the current research on the application of Phase Change Materials (PCM) for the storage of solar energy in domestic buildings in the United Kingdom. The chapter proposes a system, which takes into account constrains of domestic buildings and is constructed from common building components. The system aims to provide nighttime space heating by capturing and storing solar energy during the day. Alternative system configurations are modeled, analyzed, and optimized using computer simulation. The space heating load of a typical dwelling is computed and the relative energy saving is assessed. Required components for the computer simulation are created and system configurations with different component dimensions are optimized for the best thermal performance. The results exhibit that energy savings of 18%- 34% can be achieved and also highlights the importance of thermal analyses of system configurations.

Optimising for Sun and Light — The Environmental Performance of Bioclimatic High-Rise Offices by Malaysian Architect Kenneth Yeang

Bioclimatic highrises represent an architectural response to the problem of regionalism in highrises and are based mainly on climate as a form determinant. They integrate sky courts, the use of vertical landscaping and vegetation, sun shading and use of natural ventilation in transitional areas such as the lift and ground floor lobbies. Sensitivity studies on bioclimatic highrises in tropical climate have shown that the use of daylight to save electric light and the optimum design of the building envelope can achieve significant energy savings by maintaining the balance between thermal and lighting requirements. In this study the overall envelope of two of Ken Yeangs highrise design, Menara Mesiniaga and Menara UMNO, are optimised with regards to the balance between the opposing impacts - daylight and solar gain. Apart from the external design features, the applications of photovoltaic systems to enhance the energy efficiency of these buildings are also investigated. The optimisation is carried out through the use of the FACET computer program that incorporates the use of dynamic thermal simulation program APACHE and lighting simulation RADIANCE. The paper concludes with the energy saving potential of bioclimatic design and limitations of the current study.