Energy Efficiency in building components

Student: Matriculation Number: Module leader:

Fahimeh Rezvani

10019743 Julio Bros-Williamson

CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION

2. EXISTING SITUATION
2.1. Site location 2.2. Historical development of the site 2.3. Building design 2.4. Building structure and services

3. ANALYSIS
3.1. General performance of the facade
3.2. Window component

3.3. In-situ concrete plinth component

4. UPGRADING PROPOSAL
4.1. Concept 4.2. Scope

5. CONCLUSION

6. REFERENCES

7. APPENDIX

1. INTRODUCTION

The UK Government has committed to tackle greenhouse gas production by reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 60 - 80% before 2050 and has embedded this target into the Climate Change Act. 44% of the overall CO2 emission is produced from buildings and these figures are linked to the age of the current building stock. This is not surprising, considering that the UK has one of the oldest building stocks in Europe. The BRE estimated that 60% of buildings that will stand in 2050 have already been built and nearly 40% of these buildings were built before 1985 when the requirements of Approved Document Part L (ADL) of the Building Regulations, which concerns fuel and energy conservation, were first introduced. Previously, much more emphasis has been put on measures to reduce carbon emissions
from new buildings but the existing building stock has missed out on chances to reduce emissions and deliver low carbon buildings. The Approved Document Part L incorporates

requirements for both, new and existing buildings but there is no statutory requirement to undertake energy efficiency measures in existing buildings where building work is not being undertaken. However, improving the existing building stock is crucial to meeting the countrys targets and the actual reduction in CO2release must be achieved in the existing building stock. This report will assess the potential for energy-efficient upgrading of two components within the
building fabric of an existing office building known as, Regal House. These considered

components are; - the external in-situ concrete plinth and; - windows. Regal House is a 10-storey, open plan, office building, which was constructed in the late 1960s. The building suffers from low thermal performance due to the lack of thermal insulation of the faade. The occupants of the office are often hot in the summer but conversely cold during the winter, as heat escapes mainly though the facade.

2. EXISTING SITUATION

Figure 1 Site Layout

2.1. Site location Regal House is a prominent, purpose built, office building in central Twickenham within the
London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames. The site is adjacent to Twickenham Train

Station and at the junction of London Road and Arragon Road. The train tracks run north south to the west of the site with the residential neighbourhood to the north of the site. To the
east and south lies an area of mixed use, but mainly business use, hospitality and retail.

Figure 1 shows the site boundary owned by the Client in blue and the application boundary is highlighted in red. 2.2. Historical development of the site A larger residential type building known as, Fortescue House was built in about 1770 along London Road where Regal House now stands. In 1870, it became the Metropolitan and City
Police Orphanage and the Shaftesbury Homes in 1878. In 1937, Shaftesbury Homes were

demolished and the Regal Cinema with a car park that is now evident was built on the site in 1939. In the late1960s the Regal Cinema was demolished and replaced by the current Regal House.

Figure 2 Regal Cinema

Figure 3 Fortescue House

2.3. Building design Regal House was originally constructed in the late1960s, with some refurbishment taking place in the 1990s. It provides 132.000 sq ft of office space over nine storeys with entrance and car parking on ground floor and is so the tallest building in the area. The majority of internal accommodation is open plan offices with a variety of different tenants on mid to longterm leases. Other than the addition of an entrance canopy to the ground floor, the building has had very little external alteration. This addition is of poor, architectural quality and does not reflect the architecture of the 1960s building style of Regal House. The building is formed of two blocks, which are referred to as Building A and Building B for reference purpose. Building A is a ten storey building and Building B is a nine storey building. They are positioned at right angles to each other with a central stair and lift core located at the junction. Building A looks onto London Road and is designed with a typical structural bay size of 6.5 x 6.0m with a 2.0m notional corridor down the centre spine. Building B looks onto Arragon Road and is designed with a typical structural bay size of 5.2 x 5.5m with a 2.0m notional corridor down the centre spine. Both blocks are podium buildings being mostly open at ground floor level with car parking and plant space located under the building. The only occupied space on the ground floor is a reception and lift/stair lobbies. 2.4. Building structure and services Measured surveys and existing structural reports suggest that the buildings superstructure is
an in-situ concrete frame building with flat slab construction with floor-to-ceiling heights of

approximately 2.75 m. Stability is provided by shear walls at the gable ends of the two blocks and around the lift / stair cores. A repeated pattern of concrete fins on a grid of approximately 1300 mm supports the faade and the slabs and in-situ concrete in-fill panels up to sill height are fitted between the mullions. Pivot, single glazed, galvanized steel window units are installed to the top of the infill panels. In addition, a secondary internal glazing system has been fitted with sliding panels to allow natural ventilation. The in-situ concrete infill panels have no insulation and the internal face of the panels is lined with metal covered radiator units. Externally, the concrete infill panels have a painted textured render/concrete finish. The structural slabs appear to be in the order of 250mm thick when checked as a flat panel slab. It is also assumed that the structural floor slab is topped by a screed with applied finishes. The flat concrete roof has insulation and is finished with asphalt. The roof of the building seems intact and weather-proof. There are no raised floors throughout the building so any horizontal distribution of services is either at high level or around the building perimeter. The principal risers are located in the building core but in some areas vertical distribution is achieved through boxed out columns. Most of the building has a perimeter heating system with LTHW fed to a finned tube located within a metal cover box. The cover is sill height and has a variable slit on top to offer control of convective heating.
The building is primarily natural y ventilated. Fresh air is provided through the opening of

windows and is manually controlled by the occupants. Existing floor, elevation and section Plans of the existing building are attached in Appendix A.

3. ANALYSIS
3.1. General performance of the facade The building faces onto both London Road and Arragon Road. These elevations face south east and south west and are therefore exposed to direct sunlight for most of the day. The rear elevations are shaded for most parts of the day. Thermally, the faades compromise of in-situ concrete fins with un-insulated concrete infill panels up to sill height and large centre pivot type, single glazed, galvanized steel windows fitted above the panels. Photographs of the existing faade are presented in Appendix B.
The un-insulated faade is expected to perform poorly in terms of its thermal performance,

resulting in a high level of heat loss in the winter and high heating costs as well as severe temperature rise inside of the building in the summer. This discomfort is usually either accepted by the tenant or the rooms require mechanical cooling, which also increases in energy consumption of the building. 3.2. Window component

The windows are single glazed with galvanized steel frames and a pivot opening lights. The windows are presumable mechanically fixed into the solid concrete structure, with a small external reveal. The internal reveal is larger (approx. 125mm) with the concrete plastered and painted into the window on the head and jambs. The internal sills are timber. The suspended ceiling is cut short of the window, because the head is above the ceiling level. Al windows have had a solar film applied to reduce solar gain and amend glare. This film is damaged in some areas and poorly fitted in others. Internal blinds have been fitted by the tenant to offer additional glare control. In an attempt to improve acoustic and thermal performance, a secondary glazing system with PPC aluminium frames as sliding panels has been installed on all facades and been fixed to the sills. The system has proven to be relatively effective at reducing the road noise, but because it is very poorly fitted and not airtight this solution offers little improvement in the thermal performance. Ventilation is achieved by opening of both windows. If the secondary glazing is closed this limits the amount of fresh air available. In general, the condition of the glazing system is in much need of review, as it is visually unappealing, as well as functionally and thermally very inefficient. Photographs of the existing windows are presented in Appendix B.

Figure 4 Existing window elevation and section

U-Value calculation window component: The U value calculation method for the double set of single glazed windows has been calculated according to BS EN ISO 10077-1:2006. The BS method is attached as Appendix A for reference. U-value calculation of single glazed window unit: U-value of single glazing (nominal value) 2. Total thermal resistance R (1/ m K/W)

5.7 W/m K 0.175 m2.K/W Thermal resistance R 2 (m)/ (m W/mK) 0.040 0.175 0.173 0.175 0.130 0.353
2.83

Element - External surface (Rse) single glazed window, 6mm glass, metal frames (nominal value) Cavity > 100 mm single glazed window, 6mm glass, metal frames (nominal value) - Internal surface (Rsi) Total Thermal resistance (R tot) U value W/m2K (1/Rtot)

The U value used in the calculation above is for the glazing only and nominal. The frame has not been taken into consideration. 3.3. In-situ concrete plinth component

The in-situ concrete infill panels have no insulation and the internal face of the panels is lined with metal covered radiator units, which run along the building facade, the concrete infill panels have a painted textured render/concrete finish. The fact that the infills have no insulation contributes mainly to the high heat loss through the building envelope. For the U value calculation of the plinth component the radiators were not taken into account, as they are not part of the facade element. U-Value Calculation in-situ concrete plinth component: Element External surface (Rse) External rendering In-situ Concrete (density 2400 kg/m) Internal surface (Rsi) Total Thermal resistance (R tot) U value W/m2K (1/Rtot) Thickness (m) 0.005 0.145 Thermal conductivity (W/mK) 0.57
2.5

Thermal resistance R (m)/ (m2W/mK) 0.040 0.009 0.058 0.130 0.237 4.22

4. UPGRADING PROPOSAL
4.1. Concept

Since the building has very poor thermal insulation and the windows are fitted poorly, impractical in terms of ventilation and not airtight, the following improvement works are proposed; - Replacement of all existing windows with an effective overall u-value of max. 1.7 W/m2K, including acoustically treated trickle ventilation gril es within the new windows units - Fixing an external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS) to the concrete infill 2 panels with effective overal u-value of max. 0.28 W/m K This solution should meet the U value requirements for upgrading external walls as set out in Table 4 of the APD L2b and are listed for reference below; Renewing thermal element max. U-value Renewing window units max. U-value 0.30 W/m K 2 2.00 W/m K
2

As mentioned in section 3.3, the area between skirting and the window is taken up by a continuous run of radiators that stretch along the building. Unless the client has aspirations to upgrade the heating system, it would be costly to replace the heating system in order to insulate the building from the inside or to remove the concrete panels and replace with a curtain walling system. Also thermal insulation from the inside is less efficient and may cause problems, such as moisture coming through the structure and condensing on the inside of the wall or in the wall structure, which then results in moulds or fungi. This solution can only be recommended if legal requirements do not allow the thermal insulation to be installed from the outside (e.g. listed buildings). With this in mind, it is proposed not to disrupt the existing heating system and effective build out from the existing building envelope. Details of the proposed solution are presented in Appendix E. 4.2. Scope

Window component New non-openable window units will replace both sets of single glazed units. The new window units should be double glazed with Low E inner leaf, high performance solar rejection coating to outer leaf 16mm air gap and low energy spacers. The overall nominal u-value of the windows is max. 1.7 W/m2K. Make good all openings with a new window sill above existing heaters. In order to tackle previous acoustic issues from the street noise non-openable windows with thermally broken acoustic vents have been proposed. Any refurbishment that seals the external faade will need to consider trickle ventilation for fresh air as there is insufficient depth within the existing suspended ceiling to install a mechanical supply. The high level, acoustically treated ventilation grilles in the windows should be to the requirements of the Building Regulations Part F. Acoustic testing will establish the level of acoustic attenuation. One element that is a constant issue with refurbishments is thermal bridging around wall openings. When replacing existing windows, limiting the extent of thermal bridging should be a priority. Good practice is to bring the windows into line with the insulation layer, if possible. If this cannot be achieved, thermal breaks on the window surrounds should be fitted. At the sills and upper frames this thermal strip of insulation should be a minimum of 15mm thick with a thermal conductivity co-efficient of no more than 0.025 W/mk.

External insulation composite system (ETICS) External insulation composite system (ETICS) is a durable and cost-effective building system that provides exterior walls with insulation, finished surface and waterproofing in a combined composite system.
A layer of stone wool insulation boards (B1 class - non-flammable) is glued or bonded to the outside concrete plinth and then fixed with anchors. Insulation is then covered with a layer of

adhesive and mesh for strength. This will help the surface layer to cope with the strain of thermal expansion without cracking. The final stage is to add the decorative render. The existing render on the concrete plinth needs to be checked before bonding the insulation panels to ensure that the substrate is attached well to the structure. Any loose portions must be removed. Areas where the render has been removed may then be repaired using cementitious mortar with added latex. The proposed External insulation composite system technical datasheet is attached in Appendix D for reference.

1. Base coat (adhesive mortar) 2. Stone wool insulation slabs (Frontrock max-E) 3. Facade plug anchors 4. Reinforcing mesh embedded in the base coat 5. Masonry primer 6. Top coat (mineral or, siliceous or siliceous-silicone, but vapour permeability should be checked)
Figure 5 Composition of the ETICS with the stone wool slabs

U-Value Calculation insulated in-situ concrete plinth component: Thermal conductivity (W/mK) 0.70 0.036 2.5 Thermal resistance R 2 (m)/ (m W/mK) 0.04 0.007 3.33
0.058

Element External surface (Rse) Synthetic resin render Stone wool insulation (FRONTROCK MAX-E SLAB) In-situ Concrete (density 2300 kg/m) Internal surface (Rsi) Total Thermal resistance (R tot) U value W/m K
2

Thickness (m) 0.02

0.12

0.145

0.13 3.568 0.28

(1/Rtot)

5. CONCLUSION
The key advantages of the proposed upgrading solution are; - Adding insulation externally in the form of an insulation composite system is very effective and an economic insulation measure. The dew point is kept external, which improves the U value as the wall stays warm and dry. - Very good thermal performance with very little thermal bridging. The double glazed units will make the faade more thermally efficient, reducing the overall heating load and potentially reducing the summer cooling load due to improved solar performance of the glazing. By installing the new windows together with the external thermal insulation composite system al ows the windows to be installed in the best position within the wal . - The heat storage mass of the in-situ concrete walls remains effective for the interior, which means less heating. - Air leakage rates should be extremely low providing that robust details are used for all junctions. - Little impact on the existing services apart from where work temporarily limits access to the services and adding suspended ceilings to the perimeters. Limitations of the proposed upgrading solution are; High design input, due to possible redesign and adaption of junctions between facade and other components Replacing the existing windows with double glazed units might result in an increase in loading that the existing structure will have to be checked for. Change in external appearance and thicker walls might result in obtaining building authority approval. Potential heat loss trough the concrete fins. The facade may be liable to mechanical damage on ground floor.

The upgrade will improve the environment in the building significantly, by giving better temperature control within the office space. The proposed improvement works will deliver a much needed refurbishment of Regal House. This will not only greatly improve the appearance of the building, but will also help to generate income for Twickenham Town Centre by increasing the occupancy rate. Although the key driver for refurbishing existing buildings is to improve the energy consumption the bottom line reveals a lot more benefits; - drastic reduction of operating costs by lowering a buildings reliance on power supply and water reduction - Increase in effective life span of the building - Increase income by improving the appearance and overall facility value of the building - More cost effective than demolition and rebuild - A substantial reduction in further maintenance costs by reducing the condensation risk, thermal bridging and deteriorating of the existing fabric

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6. REFERENCES
Clemens Richarz, Christina Schulz, ,Friedemann Zeitler, Detail Practice, Energy-Efficient upgrade, Priciples, Details, Examples, Birkhaeuser ISBN 978-37643-8121-9 The Carbon Trust, Management guide CTV038, Low Carbon Refurbishment of Buildings, A guide to achieving carbon savings from refurbishment of non-domestic buildings, June 2008, Company number 4190230, 8th Floor, 3 Clements Inn, London WC2A 2AZ. BRE, Rethinking Refurbishment. Developing a National Programme, October 2010,The National Refurbishment Centre BRE, Bucknalls Lane Watford, Herts WD25 9XX BS EN12524:2000, Building materials and products - Hydrothermal properties Tabulated design values, BRITISH STANDARD, April 2000 BS EN ISO 6946:2007, Building components and building elements - Thermal resistance and thermal transmittance - Calculation method (ISO 6946:2007) BRITISH STANDARD, 2007 BS EN ISO 10077-1:2006, Thermal performance of windows, doors and shutters - Calculation of thermal transmittance. General (incorporating corrigendum November 2009) BRITISH STANDARD, 2006 Building Regulations 2000: Approved Documents L2B , Conservation of fuel and power in
existing buildings other than dwellings (2010 edition) (December 2010 with corrections),

October 2010 Scott Brownrigg Architects, Existing Drawings, Photos and Surveys of Regal House, February 2010, Scott Brownrigg , St. Catherines Court, 46-48 Portsmouth Road, Guildford, GU2 4DU

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7. APPENDIX

APPENDIX A APPENDIX B APPENDIX C APPENDIX D APPENDIX E

Existing Plans Photos Calculation method windows Technical datasheets Details proposed upgrade

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