Kwangbok Jeong

A model for evaluating the environmental benefits of elementary school facilities

In this study, a model that is capable of evaluating the environmental benefits of a new elementary school facility was developed. The model is composed of three steps: (i) retrieval of elementary school facilities having similar characteristics as the new elementary school facility using case-based reasoning; (ii) creation of energy consumption and material data for the benchmark elementary school facility using the retrieved similar elementary school facilities; and (iii) evaluation of the environmental benefits of the new elementary school facility by assessing and comparing the environmental impact of the new and created benchmark elementary school facility using life cycle assessment. The developed model can present the environmental benefits of a new elementary school facility in terms of monetary values using Environmental Priority Strategy 2000, a damage-oriented life cycle impact assessment method. The developed model can be used for the following: (i) as criteria for a green-building rating system; (ii) as criteria for setting the support plan and size, such as the governments incentives for promoting green-building projects; and (iii) as criteria for determining the feasibility of green building projects in key business sectors.

Zoning-Based Vertical Transportation Optimization for Workers at Peak Time in a Skyscraper Construction

In a skyscraper construction, a great number of workers and materials must be vertically transported to the proper positions depending on their roles. Particularly, the optimal vertical transportation logistics of lift cars for workers at peak time should be established to enhance the entire project performance in a skyscraper construction. For achieving this objective, the zoning-based concept can be introduced to improve the effectiveness of the vertical transportation logistics of lift cars for workers at peak time in a skyscraper construction. In developing the zoning-based vertical transportation logistics, it is necessary to consider the minimization of the electricity consumption as an environmental index as well as the minimization of the operating time and the maximization of the cost effectiveness. Therefore, this study aims to develop a multi-objective optimization model for solving the time-cost-environment trade-off problem in establishing the zoning-based vertical transportation logistics of lift cars for workers at peak time in a skyscraper construction.

Environmental Impact Assessment of Buildings based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Methodology

Most of the studies on reduction of buildings` environmental burden in the construction industry have been focused on carbon dioxide emission, although there are various kinds of environmental issues such as global warming, acidification, and etc. which are considered by many researchers. Therefore, this study defined and suggested six impact categories and the principles to assess each impact for the assessment of comprehensive environmental impacts of buildings. The six impact categories are abiotic depletion, global warming, ozone layer depletion, acidification, eutrophication, and photochemical oxidation. A case study has been conducted through comparative analysis of two structural design alternatives to confirm the necessity of assessing the six impact categories. That is, the results of global warming potential and the six impacts proposed in this study were compared. By comparing the results of only global warming potential, the second design alternative using 24MPa concrete was chosen as a better alternative, while the first design alternative using 21MPa concrete was resulted as a better alternative when six impact categories were considered. The results mean that the assessment of various environmental impacts is an appropriate and reasonable approach and the comprehensive assessment offers more reliable results of environmental impacts in the building construction.

Establishment of Optimal Control Strategy of Building-Integrated Photovoltaic Blind Slat Angle by Considering Interior Illuminance and Electricity Generation

A building-integrated photovoltaic blind (BIPB), in which blind and PV system is combined to generate energy in the building exterior and reduce the heating and cooling load in building by shading function. This study aimed to establish the optimal control strategy of BIPB slat angle by considering interior illuminance and electricity generation. First, in terms of interior illuminance considering overall light (i.e., daylight and artificial illumination) and electricity generation from BIPB, it was determined that the optimal blind slat angle is 80° at all time. Second, in terms of interior illuminance considering daylight and electricity generation from BIPB, it was determined that the optimal blind slat angle is 10° (9:00), 20° (10:00–11:00, 14:00–15:00) and 30° (12:00–13:00). Based on results of this study, effective use of BIPB can be induced by providing information for optimal blind slat angle to users that are considering BIPB implementation.

Dynamic analysis of the urban-based low-carbon policy using system dynamics: Focused on housing and green space

To systematically manage the energy consumption of existing buildings, the government has to enforce greenhouse gas reduction policies. However, most of the policies are not properly executed because they do not consider various factors from the urban level perspective. Therefore, this study aimed to conduct a dynamic analysis of an urban-based low-carbon policy using system dynamics, with a specific focus on housing and green space. This study was conducted in the following steps: (i) establishing the variables of urban-based greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions; (ii) creating a stock/flow diagram of urban-based GHGs emissions; (iii) conducting an information analysis using the system dynamics; and (iv) proposing the urban-based low-carbon policy. If a combined energy policy that uses the housing sector (30%) and the green space sector (30%) at the same time is implemented, 2020 CO2 emissions will be 7.23 million tons (i.e., 30.48% below 2020 business-as-usual), achieving the national carbon emissions reduc...

Framework for Evaluating the Thermal Insulation Performance of Existing Residential Buildings Using the Infrared Thermal Image and Image Processing Method

Various green projects were executed to reduce the energy consumption in building sector. In particular, it is necessary to improve the thermal insulation performance of existing residential buildings. Even though it is critical to evaluate the thermal insulation performance in operation and maintenance phase, most of the policies and previous studies have focused on thermal insulation materials and systems in design phase. To address this limitation, this study aimed to develop the framework for evaluating the thermal insulation performance of existing residential buildings using the infrared thermal image and image processing method. Towards this end, this study was conducted in two steps: (i) establishment of the building information and infrared thermal image; and (ii) estimation of the thermal loss areas in building surface using the image processing. The result of this study could help building users and managers to estimate the thermal insulation performance in operation and maintenance phase.