Tine Steen Larsen

Evaluation of the Indoor Environment of Comfort Houses: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches

Currently, the built environment accounts for about 40% of the total energy consumed in the European Union and this level is continuing to increase. This high level of energy consumption is partially a result of attempts to create an optimum indoor environment for the occupants of buildings. New buildings and renovation projects on existing buildings need to improve their energy performance while maintaining a good and healthy indoor environment. One way of saving energy is to build passive houses. This paper presents the results of a case study of some of the first certified passive houses in Denmark, called Comfort Houses. The indoor environment is evaluated using both quantitative measurements of these houses and qualitative interviews with the occupants about their experiences of the indoor environment. The combination of these two sets of knowledge leads to a more complete and holistic picture of the indoor environment. It is shown that attention needs to be paid to the objectives in the design process, the documentation of the designs and on the occupant’s lifestyle and behaviour. Finally, it is important to educate the occupants on how to live in an appropriate manner to achieve a comfortable indoor environment.

DGNB BUILDING CERTIFICATION COMPANION: SUSTAINABILITY TOOL FOR ASSESSMENT, PLANNING, LEARNING, AND ENGAGING (STAPLE)

In the construction industry, the popularity of sustainability and its benefits have been on the rise in recent years. Alas, with various building sustainability assessment schemes on the market, there is still no single general method for a comprehensive and inclusive design and building process for sustainable buildings. The literature describes several barriers of entry preventing actors in the industry from seeking sustainability certifications and prioritizing design methods, supporting sustainability in greater numbers. In the newly developed tool, “DGNB building certification companion: Sustainable Tool for Assessment, Planning, Learning, and Engaging (STAPLE)”, a new Excel-based, interactive, and iterative education focused platform is introduced, intended to engage dialog among stakeholders, building owners, and decision makers, and the assigned group team leaders, based on the five DGNB topics. In order to establish common levels of knowledge, terminology, and understanding for proper interdisciplinary discussions, which would result in suitable and timely decisions, personal and professional development is enabled by imbedded educational documents in multiple formats throughout the tool as plain-language, easily digestible summaries of various topics regarding sustainability and the DGNB certification scheme. The identified barriers are described in the tool followed by a solution to overcome them. The tool, tested at multiple stages of development and moulded by many individuals both within and outside of the sustainable building industry has shown to achieve the primary goals of assessment of individual’s current knowledge, educating through multiple stages and formats, and the inspiring of conversation among team members through a graphical display of opinions. Based on user feedback, the conclusion was that this is a desired product on the market. This new approach is expected to dramatically reduce misunderstandings, conflicts, and mistakes during a sustainable design process, helping the design team plan a project to possibly obtain the highest DGNB score if desired and properly documented.