Page 18 - Climate Control News Oct 2021

Building Automation
Long road to net zero buildings
GLOBAL WARMING AND climate change will also have a strong impact on tropical climate regions where buildings’ energy consumption is driven by rising demand in electrical cooling.
Reducing carbon emissions in buildings will be critical to achieving the Paris climate goals.
Buildings represent 39 per cent of global greenhouse emissions, including 28 per cent in operational emissions and 11 per cent in build- ing materials and construction.
Global building floorspace is projected to dou- ble by 2060 and only three per cent of investment in new construction is green and the renovation rate for existing buildings is barely one per cent.
The NUS School of Design and Environment 4 (SDE4) is the first newly built, net zero energy build- ing in Singapore and is the first building in South East Asia to be awarded the Zero Energy Certifica- tion by the International Living Future Institute.
The six-level building features an innovative hybrid cooling system to effectively reduce the building’s energy consumption.
Advanced monitoring of occupancy, space us- age, indoor air quality and weather conditions helps optimise system operation.
Electricity produced by 428 kWh of rooftop so- lar panels is used to power all systems with any excess exported dynamically to the campus grid for adjacent building usage. Since its opening in January 2019, the building has been net energy positive, it produces more energy than it con- sumes, by more than 460MWh.
The SMU-X Net Zero Energy Building is Singa- pore’s first large-scale mass engineered timber (MET) building.
The building has an advanced building façade that balances the amount of natural light and heat entering the building and an advanced lighting control system.
However, the world’s tallest hybrid timber building can be found right here in Australia.
The Atlassian headquarters in Sydney which is currently under construction will be complet- ed in 2025.
The 40-storey tower is designed by SHoP in partnership with BVN.
The timber design with a glass and steel fa- çade, “will use an energy-efficient approach that features natural ventilation and large planted terraces giving access to nature”.
“SOLAR PANELS IN THE VERTICAL FACADES WILL HELP GENERATE GREEN POWER ON-SITE.”
The project, in line with Atlassian’s values, will operate on 100 per cent renewable energy and reach net-zero emissions.
In fact, the project is aiming for 50 per cent less embodied carbon in construction compared to a conventional building, and 50 per cent less ener- gy consumption compared with a new conven- tionally operated building.
Solar panels in the vertical facades will help generate green power on-site. Eventually, the building will operate on 100 per cent renewable energy with built-in solar panels in the façade.
In addition, the façade incorporates an elec- tricity-generating system with self-shade capa- bilities to reduce direct heat gain internally. It stands approximately 180 metres / 590 feet high.
LEFT: The world’s tallest hybrid timber building.
BELOW: The NUS School of Design and Environment 4 (SDE4) in Singapore.
ENERGY SAVINGS
Potential energy savings from smart buildings is significant. For example, basic automated building controls can save ten to 15 per cent of energy in commercial buildings.
More advanced functionality such as demand-controlled ventilation can save an addition five to 10 per cent in energy. Integrated building systems can yield savings of eight to 18 per cent compared to basic HVAC and lighting control.
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