To Örebro University

This project aims to study the knowledge that property owners have of passive houses and if there is a market for this concept in Örebro County.

Environmental and climate problems in the world are growing and a result of this is the constant circulating debate of passive houses. Low-energy houses are a necessary solution to reducing energy consumption, then the housing sector accounts for about 40 % of Sweden´s total energy use. Passive houses are a development of the low-energy house built without conventional heating systems and have a low energy use. Asplunds Bygg in Örebro is now building the very first passive houses in Örebro this spring 2009.

The project began with contacting property owners to book interviews. The interviews were carried out over a four week period at the respective property owner's office. An independent in-depth were made parallel to the interviews by studying passivhus in literature, articles and on the Internet. The results of the interviews were compiled, compared and analyzed based on the purpose of the work.

Property owners are receptive to the concept and believe that the energy issue is important, but that knowledge into passive houses of some is poor.  Finally found that from the results of the interviews it seems that there is a future market for passive houses in Örebro County. 

Keywords: passive houses, low-energy houses, energy use, ventilation system, heat recovery, thick insulation.  

Den Europeiska standarden är indelad i flertalet Eurokoder och dessa är de kommande beräkningsreglerna som år 2011 blir obligatoriska för alla bärande konstruktioner inom den Europeiska unionen. De kommer att ersätta tidigare nationella regler och det är framförallt Boverkets konstruktionsregler (BKR) med tillhörande handböcker som berörs av Eurokoderna.

Flertalet faktorer påverkar när en övergång från svenska byggregler till Eurokoderna skall bli möjlig men det viktigaste har med dess tillgänglighet att göra. Det är inte längre en fråga om Eurokoderna skall börja tillämpas, utan istället när.

Syftet med detta examensarbete är att det skall ge en allmän och överskådlig bild av hur de svenska byggreglerna skiljer sig från sin europiska motsvarighet, varvid likheter och olikheter skall lyftas fram.

Jämförelsen har baserats på ett antal beräkningar som har utförts på ett framtaget referensobjekt, där endast de delar som berör beräkningar kring referensobjektet kommer att granskas och jämföras. För att få underlag till dessa beräkningar har litteraturstudium av respektive regler tillämpats. Detta material har allt eftersom sammanställts i denna rapport.

Med utgångspunkt från det framtagna referensobjektet kan man till stor del fastlägga att skillnaden mellan svenska byggregler och europeisk standard inte är av större karaktär. En av de mest framgående skillnaderna är dock att den europeiska standarden är betydligt mer beskrivande om hur och vad som skall beräknas, vägen till resultatet, medan de svenska byggreglerna endast beskriver det slutgiltiga resultatet. Detta leder till att den europeiska standarden är betydligt lättare att följa och därav även lättare att tillämpa.

In recent years, moisture damages have been noticed in rendered, undrained stud walls. The design is built on the principle one-stage tightening which means that there is no air gap in the construction. The damages have occurred when water has permeated through the rendering in leaking connections and fittings for windows, doors, canopies, balconies, terraces and awnings. Behind the plaster carrier, which consists of either polystyrene or rigid mineral wool, plasterboard has often been used as a wind protection barrier. In many cases the wind protection barrier and the underlying wooden studs have been exposed to mould and in some cases even rot. It has been shown that damp in the structure is difficult to dry out.

The aim of the thesis has been to examine how the energy consumption is affected when this type of construction is damp, partly because energy is required to dry up damp, partly because the insulation ability for a material decreases when it is affected by moisture.

Previous research and relevant literature has been used in this thesis, to provide: A comprehensive picture of the problem, an explanation for the calculations used and an understanding of the conclusions drawn.

The energy consumption has been calculated for 1 m² wall area on two types of wall designs. The calculations have been performed in both dry and damp condition. To calculate the energy consumption in damp condition, three different types of calculation models have been used in three different ways. Since no measurements have been made, the calculations are to some extent based on assumed values.

The amount of damp that have entered the structure has, according to the calculation models used, been shown to produce small differences in energy consumption compared to the dry structure. The main problem for these types of walls seems instead to be the growth of microorganisms. Nevertheless, the microorganisms seem not to have affected the indoor environment in any significant manner.

Bygg- och fastighetssektorn står för närmare 40 procent av Sveriges energianvändning och miljöpåverkan. Därför har större fokus på energieffektiva och miljöcertifierade byggnader ökat det senaste decenniet inom branschen. För att fortsätta utvecklingen framåt kom EU med direktiv för medlemsländerna, där mål sattes för åren 2020 och 2050 gällande energianvändningen.Syftet med arbetet är att ta reda på vilken påverkan olika faktorer har när kunderna gör sina val av bostäder i framtiden. Faktorer som arbetet främst fokuserar på är energi, miljö och utformning.Arbetet bygger till stor del på intervjuer från mäklare samt olika aktörer från byggbran-schen. Mäklarnas syn på vilka faktorer som eftersöks på marknaden ansågs som ett bra tillvägagångsätt eftersom det är de som jobbar med kunderna. Intervjuer gjordes även med aktörer för att jämföra om deras syn överensstämde med mäklarnas.Efterfrågan på energieffektiva och miljöcertifierade bostäder har idag ingen stor inver-kan för kundens val av bostad. Dock tyder det på att medvetenheten och efterfrågan från kunderna kommer öka i framtiden.En viktig del i framtidens bostäder blir även utformningen, att projekt anpassas efter målgrupp och att undersökningar för vilka ytor som skapar värde för kunderna görs. En flexiblare planlösning där kunderna med enkla medel kan påverka utformningen av sina bostäder är en betydande faktor som kommer vara avgörande för framtidens bostäder.

Goal, Scope and Background: District heating, the utilization of centrally produced heat for space heating and domestic hot water generation, has the potential to contribute to the eco-efficient use of energy resources in the parts of the world where space heating is needed. In literature, environmental studies on district heating mainly consider the emissions from heat generation; the environmental impact from the distribution system is seldom discussed. This paper presents a life cycle assessment of the production of district heating pipes, based on a cradle-to-gate life cycle inventory commissioned by the Swedish District Heating Association. No external review has been performed but a reference group of district heating experts familiar with the practice was involved in the choice of cases as well as in reviewing parts of the study.

Methods: Manufacturing of district heating pipes at Powerpipe Systems AB, Goteborg, Sweden, was studied. Prefabricated polyurethane insulated district heating pipes were considered, with a steel tube and a protective casing made of high-density polyethylene. Production of pipes during the time period 1999-2000 was investigated. The functional unit used in the study is production of one district heating pipe unit. The studied pipes are: a twin pipe of the dimension DN25 (12m long) and single pipes of the dimensions DN25 (12m), DN100 (12m) and DN500 (16m).

Results and Discussion: A short description of the inventory, some inventory results and a life cycle impact assessment are presented. Characterizations according to GWP, AP, POCP and resource depletion are given as well as two weightings: Ecolndicator99 and Ecoscarcity. If the life cycle is grouped into 'Materials production', 'Transports', 'Manufacturing' and 'Waste management', the 'Materials production' gives rise to a dominating part of the environmental impact.

Recommendation and Perspective: To use materials in the pipes as efficiently as possible is the most important feature in order to reduce the environmental impact from production of district heating pipes. Twin pipes can be a more material efficient solution than single pipes. It is important to make sure that environmental improvements from changes in the pipe production phase are not offset by other effects in the total life cycle of the district heating pipe.

Småhus byggs på många olika sätt och tekniska lösningar. Några av dessa måste vara bättre än andra. Valet av lösning inriktas ofta på att minska produktionskostnaden utan vederbörlig hänsyn till drift- och underhållskostnader. Produktionskostnaden för småhus har ökat kraftigt liksom energipriset. Olika åtgärders energibesparing har ofta helt eller delvis uteblivit. Byggandet har blivit allt mer komplicerat och påkostat med många nya oprövade material, konstruktioner och installationer. Larmrapporter duggar tätt om hälsoproblem för de boende och byggskador. Nya hus har ofta helt andra och delvis okända egenskaper än tidigare, de är t ex fuktkänsligare.

Råd ges för utformning av energieffektiva och komfortabla småhus till låga livscykelkostnader. Man kan sänka produktionskostnaden med 30 % genom åtgärder som minskar slöseriet under byggprocessen. Den totala energianvändningen för värme, varmvatten och hushållsel kan sänkas med 30 % genom rätt teknisk lösning och god innemiljö utan att öka produktionskostnaden. Fönster ska vara energieffektiva, ytan begränsas till 10 á 15 % av golvarean och avskärmas för besvärande solinstrålning. Luftvärme och energislösande golvvärme bör undvikas.

Energianvändningen i småhus varierar kraftigt mellan såväl nominellt lika som olika hus på grund av skillnader i boendevanor, individuell mätning och debitering av energi och vatten, arbetsutförandets kvalitet (isolering, tätningar, injustering av värme och ventilation) och valet av teknisk lösning.

Småhus byggda sedan mitten på 1980-talet har normalt i medeltal den totala energianvändningen för värme, varmvatten och hushållsel 13 000 – 15 000 kWh/år eller 120 – 130 kWh/m² år. Det finns en god lösning som har 70 – 80 kWh/m² år. Denna karakteriseras bland annat av frånluftsventilation med väggventiler och radiatorer samt frånluftsvärmepump för värme och varmvatten. Lösningen ställer inte speciella krav på projektörer, byggare, förvaltare  och brukare till skillnad från passivhus.

Gruppbyggda småhus jämfört med flerbostadshus har i allmänhet per kvadratmeter lägenhetsyta:

·        30 % lägre produktionskostnad

·        50 % lägre total energianvändning för värme, varmvatten och hushållsel

Vanliga grundläggningssätt och konstruktioner har studerats för platta på mark och krypgrund, såväl uteluftsventilerade, slutna som inneluftsventilerade. Utvecklingen beskrivs sedan oljekrisen 1973. Sammanställning och analys har gjorts av erfarenheter, problem och åtgärder för att avhjälpa dessa. Rekommendationer ges för utformning av goda lösningar för golv och grunder.

Husgrunden är vanligtvis den byggnadsdel som är utsatt för mest klagomål bland annat beroende på lokala förhållanden, entreprenadform och samspelet överbyggnad - grund. Platta på mark med isolering under betongplattan har normalt lägre produktionskostnad än krypgrund. Hus med golvvärme har vanligen högre produktionskostnad och ett par tiotal procent högre total energianvändning än hus med radiatorsystem. Energieffektiv golvvärme medför ytterligare fördyringar med drygt 700 kr/m² golvarea.

Golvbeläggningsmaterialet har stor inverkan på valet av värmesystem liksom grundläggningssättet. Som basvärme rekommenderas radiatorsystem. Använd i första hand golvbeläggningsmaterial med låg värmekapacitet, densitet och värmeledningsförmåga. Hus med träbjälklag och trägolv eller "flytande" på cellplastisolering har tillräcklig termisk komfort med radiatorsystem. För utrymmen med klinkerplattor rekommenderas tidstyrd elektrisk golvvärme som komfortvärme (deleffekt).

"Småhusbranschen är infekterad. Inte bara av fukt och mögel, utan framförallt av fusk och mygel"Boken inehåller ett 40-tal kapitel av olika praktikfall, utredningar och debattinlägg. Kritik riktas mot slarviga husföretag och entreprenörer, mot mäklare som hellre tänker på snabba klipp än på kundens bästa, mot partiska och slarviga besiktningsmän, förorenande luftvärme och dyrbar golvvärme, skattesubventionerad energi- och kostnadskrävande fjärrvärme och mycket annat. "Självvärmda hus", glättade huskataloger, mögelhundar och media får sin besärda del av kritiken.

I en lång rad skadefall belyses "den lilla människans" ibland hopplösa kamp för att få rätt mot företag och makthavare. En del av fallen har gått till domstol, andra har lösts genom medling eller med stöd av medial uppmärksamhet. För privatpersoner kan det vara psykiskt betungande samt en lika tidsödande som kostnadskrävande sak att processa mot t ex ett husföretag eller besiktningsmän.

Bokens syfte är att väcka debatt, informera och utbilda husköpare och husägare till kritiskt tänkande. Goda råd ges till dem som planerar att bygga småhus, köpa begagnat eller funderar på att bygga om. Som en röd tråd löper rådet att välja opartiska rådgivare och besiktningsmän som inte går i mäklarnas eller byggföretagens ledband utan genomför sina uppdrag med kundens/husköparens bästa för ögonen.

Byggbranschen måste förnyas och gamla kunskaper tillvaratas. Om vi använder känd kunskap i ökad utsträckning behöver vi inte så ofta säga "det var bättre förr". Vi lever i ett Lort-Sverige som är farligare än när författaren Lubbe Nordström berättade om bostadssituationen i slutet av 1930-talet. Skillnaden mellan då och nu är att vi idag inte ser "skiten", men känner den i form av astma och allergier.

Sammanställning och analys av innemiljö, energianvändning och livscykelkostnader har gjorts av ett antal undersökningar i flerbostadshus med olika lösningar. Energianvändningen uppgår i medeltal till ca 200 kWh/m² år totalt för byggnadsuppvärmning, varmvatten, fastighetsel och hushållsel. Variationerna i energianvändning är stora. Mellan två husområden med likartad lösning kan energianvändningen förhålla sig som 1:2. Det finns nyare områden som har högre total energianvändning än äldre.

Möjligheterna är avsevärda att förbättra innemiljön och effektivisera energianvändningen. Energisparpotentialen är i många fall 50 % eller mer, såväl för äldre hus som nyare. Recept ges för goda lösningar som kan sänka både produktionskostnaderna och energianvändningen med 30 %. Detta kan ske genom helhetssyn, där byggnad och installationer ses som ett system, tillsammans med lämplig entreprenadform och krav på uppföljning. En utvärderingsstrategi för material, konstruktioner och produkter beskrivs.

Innemiljö, energianvändning och livscykelkostnader har analyserats och jämförts för olika lösningar i nya småhus. Stora skillnader föreligger mellan beräknade och uppmätta värden beroende på beräkningsmetodernas relevans för nya småhus, brukarvanor m m. Den totala energianvändningen för byggnadsuppvärmning, varmvatten och hushållsel för nya småhus uppgår normalt till 120 - 130 kWh/m² år.

En god lösning finns som ligger mellan 80 och 90 kWh/m² år. Denna lösning, som man har drygt 20 års erfarenheter av, karakteriseras bland annat av vattenradiatorer, frånluftsventilation och frånluftsvärmepump för byggnadsuppvärmning och varmvatten. Lösningen är fabrikatsoberoende, har god innemiljö, 30 % lägre energianvändning utan ökad produktionskostnad. Två passivhusområden som utvärderats visar sig ha den totala energianvändningen 70 - 80 kWh/m² år. Passivhustekniken kräver särskilda utbildningsinsatser för att man i praktiken skall nå avsedda mål. Deras komplicerade installationer är underhållsintensiva.

Förslag ges till utformning av nya småhus med god innemiljö, effektiv energianvändning och låg livscykelkostnad. För- och nackdelar med olika lösningar belyses liksom underhållskostnader, entreprenadform och metoder för kvalitetssäkring. Risker med tjock isolering, stora glasytor samt komplicerade värme- och ventilationssystem behandlas.

Enighet råder i stort om att satsa på god isolering och täthet. Värme- och ventilationssystem bör vara enkla och beprövade, lätta att sköta samt ha noggrann och snabb brukarstyrd reglering för högt gratisvärmeutnyttjande.

Navigation performance in urban and large-scale built-up spaces (e.g. airports, train-stations, hospitals) depends on gradual environmental perception during locomotion, and spatial knowledge acquisition, update/integration at different times along a path. Rotational locomotion is regularly involved in everyday navigation; this, combined with the fact that people cannot perceive the whole of a large-scale setting at once often leads to incidents of cognitive loading and disorientation. Our research explores the mechanisms involved in rotational locomotion for human navigators, and the role of familiarity as well as the cost of cognitive load on orientation accuracy and spatial memory. We examine the impact of structural and featural cues on spatial knowledge updating in relation to egorotations from the viewpoint of behaviour-based design practice and evidencebased design interventions. The results are based on a case study in a train station, experimenting on rotational problems in navigation. Here we present preliminary results emphasizing the role of environmental cues in rotational location, outline possibilities for further study, and discuss implications for evidence-based design practice and cognitive design assistance technology development.

The aim of this research is to understand component manufacturers' perception of their role in the innovation process. The role of the component manufacturer is different to other construction sector actors because they are product- not project-orientated. Base information was taken from part of a large benchmarking study conducted in Sweden. This helped to identify a small number of established component manufacturers located in a large geographical area of Sweden suitable for further investigation. Information about ten manufacturers was collected and interviews were conducted with their managing directors. The interviews revealed considerable variation in the manufacturers' perception of their position in the innovation process, their approach to new product development and interaction with their customers. Manufacturers were then graded according to their benchmarking and innovation procedures, which helped to illustrate a link between communication and information-sharing practices, benchmarking and innovation. The main findings are that the more innovative companies use information and benchmarking activities to their benefit. The more innovative companies have established a balance between innovations in process and product, have a clear direction from their managing director, and engage in regular communication with their customers.

På uppdrag av Arnes Plåtslageri AB och med hjälp av en universitetscheck från ALMI Företagspartner AB, har en enkätundersökning gjorts som gäller energibesparing samt drift och skötsel av solfångareanläggning i drift. Undersökningen har gjorts på institutionen för Teknik, Avd för bygg-, energi- och maskinteknik, Örebro universitet.

Undersökningen visar på höga energibesparingar om man från ren vedeldning går över till kombinationen ved och solvärme kombinerat i en ackumulatortank. Driftarbetet och skötseltiden förkortas samtidigt.

Energibesparingen från en solvärmeanläggning vars primära värmekälla är ved eller olja är 1,7 - 2,3 gånger större än vad solfångaren kan leverera i producerad solvärme. Normala dimensioneringskriterier för solfångare är 400 kWh/m2 och år vid en medeltemperatur¬differens på 50 oC. Enkätundersökningen visar på en besparing på 650 - 900 kWh/ m2 och år. Att energibesparingen i undersökningen per m2solfångare är större än vad solfångarna teoretiskt kan producera i värme, beror bl a på befintliga systems relativt dåliga system¬verkningsgrader under det varma delen av året, som då kan gå ned till 30%. Undersökningen har även tydligt visat att det är skillnad på energibehov och köpt/tillförd energi i form av ved eller olja.

Rapporten rekommenderar att noggrannare mätningar utförs för att erhålla mer exakta siffervärden.

Tomas Hallén (1981) har beskrivit ett matematiskt samband för varaktigheten för utetemperatur. Detta samband har ett flertal konsulter använt i olika datorprogram för att beräkna energibesparing vid olika typer av energisystem, såsom värmepumpar och värmeåtervinning, om värmelasten är utetemperaturberoende.

Godhetstal för Halléns ekvation är på R2=0,95, om man gör en analogi med att använda minsta kvardratmetoden. Det är visat att Halléns ekvations för utetemperaturens varaktighet stämmer mycket bra med den graf som är förlaga och kan med god precition användas i energiberäkningarna.

Denna rapport är resultatet av en sk tekniklösning för att kyla förarhytten i eldrivna truckar. Uppdraget är utfört med medel från Innovationsbron Väst AB via Mobab AB till institutionen för teknik vid Örebro universitet.

Att söka en tekniklösning innebär att genom en förstudie försöka finna en möjlig kylprocess som inte drar så mycket elektrisk energi och som Mobab AB sedan skall utveckla vidare till kommersiell produkt.

En beräkning av kyllasten för en tänkt truckhytt placerad i Kalmar respektive Bologna redovisas. En enkel värmebalans för en truckhytt har gjorts för ett driftfall i varje ort. Teoretiskt dimensionerade luftflöden med hänsyn till klimat och luftkvalitet har tagits fram. Ett tiotal olika kylprocesser har redovisats och diskuterats.

Rapporten förordnar frånluftvärmeväxlad indirekt evaporativ fuktning/kylning som tekniklösning. Ett flödesschema på kylprocessen redovisas för att beskriva tekniklösningen.

A common way to measure the sink or source of gases in ventilated rooms is to use one measuring instrument and one control valve. The control valve, which is operated by a computer, obtains samples of gas from exhaust and supply air. The measurements obtained are then analysed using various difference methods. The largest uncertainty occurs in the gas measurement irrespective of which of the gases is measured in this case, carbon dioxide, formaldehyde (FAD) and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC). Carbon dioxide is measured by the NDIR-method and both FAD and TVOC are measured by the PAS-method. If the standard uncertainty for the measurement of carbon dioxide is reduced from 4 ppm to 0,0002 pm, the influence from the airflow rate is affected from 0 up to 10 % of the uncertainty for the measured specified carbon dioxide flow rate. If the air climate in exhaust and supply air is measured, it is possible to find a slight influence from the measurement of the airflow rate. Two temperature sensors and two moisture sensors measure the climate.

People spend more than 80 % of the day indoors and are mostly exposed to contaminated air. Some authors suggest that indoor plants are good as indoor air cleaners. Authors have studied the sink effect of indoor plants in unventilated closed systems. Unfortunately, the results from these studies cannot be applied in the design of HVAC-systems because they do not contain proper parameters, such as air change rate.

In this study the sink and source effects of three different indoor plants have been investigated for carbon dioxide (CO2), formaldehyde (FAD), and total volatile organic compound (TVOC). The measurements have been made in two different climate chambers, a climate box of 0.56 m3 and a clean room of 19.6 m3. Both inlet and outlet air concentrations of CO2, FAD, TVOC, and content of water were measured. In addition the light intensity levels, lux and photoactive radiation (Par), were measured. The three following families of indoor plants have been tested: Epipremnum, Schefflera and Spathiphyllum.

A new method of measuring leaf area is described. The plant’s leaf area has been measured with a photo scanner for a selected number of leaves and the relationship between the characteristic length and the area has been calculated using regression analysis. The characteristic length was measured for all leaves of the plants and used to calculate the total leaf area.

A special mixture, containing six ordinary volatile organic compounds normally found in indoor air, was used to simulate TVOC. The concentration of TVOC was measured using photo acoustic infrared spectroscopy (PAS).

Both single step and double step forward finite difference methods have been used for the calculations of the indoor concentration dilution of contaminants. The latter method is preferred when using one single instrument and a switching valve for monitoring the concentration and gas flow from both the inlet and the outlet of the chamber. In the calculations the influence of the chamber has been taken into consideration.

The results show that for the studied plants, the sink effect of CO2 is -0.05 to -0.1 g CO2 m-2 h-1 at day-time (500 lx) and that the source strength at night-time is 0.1 g CO2 m-2 h-1 when the inlet concentration of CO2 air is 400 ppm. If the inlet air concentration is 1500 ppm CO2 the sink effect is larger, ranging from -2 to -6 g CO2 m-2 h-1. The sink effect of FAD is in the range of -0.3 to -1 mg FAD m-2 h-1 (at the background concentration of 0.3 mg FAD m-3), and the sink effect of TVOCpas is -0.25 to - 0.5 mg TVOCpas m-2 h-1 (at the background concentration of 1-2 mg TVOCpas m-3). The source strength of water is in the range of 0.005-0.01 g H2O m-2 h-1 (at nighttime) and 0.008 to 0.01 g H2O m-2 h-1 (at day-time).

Standardising of out printings to estimate printers and copiers emitting of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and particles. This report describes a proposal standard for printing and coping to measurement TVOC, VOC, other organic compounds, particles and contamination from printer and copier machine. The proposal standard gives information about:

The way that all information gives to repeat similar measurement and get them comparable. In appendix the printing is showed. A test showed that an ink-jet printer produce 0.72 mg TVOCPAS A4-1 and 2100+-215 particles (0.1-0.3 "my"m) A4-1 when this out printing standard is used.

Validation and design of a particle trap. The purpose of the project is to measure  a product's (AerosolTrap®) technical properties and to calculate the product with the computer program Ansys workbench. Later on ProE was used for solid modeling, Ansys (Finita element generation) together with Ansys Fluent (flow's - and particle track modeling) in order to evaluate the measured model. In the study  it is shown that these program’s and multivariat analysis can be used to create a product capable of handling for using smaller particles with higher density.The evaluation shows that the measurement properties of technical corresponds well with the computer model concerning airflow and 3-7 mm cell plastic bulbs with density of 32.5 kg m^-3. One robust calculation process has also been created.The simulation with multivariat analysis is preformed and a new product, a model, has been created with Ansys workbench. The product properties as airflow, particle density and size can, be controlled with multivariat analysis.

Det finns idag (2004) ett flertal exempel på prefabbyggen med lätta stommar. Byggelementen är antingen volymelement eller planelement eller kombinationer som på byggplatsen monteras ihop tillsammans med den för husets funktion viktiga infrastrukturen såsom grund, trapphus, installationsstammar och apparatrum. Tre olika koncept har undersökts nämligen Move In®, Bo Klok och B4. Move In är ett volymelementkoncept med moduler som innefattar stjärnhus, punkthus, lamellhus och vinkelhus. Bo Klok är ett volymelementkoncept med moduler och byggs som vinkelhus medan B4 är planelementkoncept för olika typer av flerbostadshus. Det är möjligt att bygga upp till fyra våningar med Move In och B4, medan Bo Klok konceptet är ett två våningskoncept. Vid byggprojekt med byggelement med lätta stommar är det viktigt att så tidigt som möjligt starta processen att planera för prefabbygge. Denna start skall ske redan i programstadiet. Både projekterings- och produktionsskedet är annorlunda än vid traditionella platsbyggda projekt. Särskilt elementens storlekt vid transporten styr storleksmått på planlösningen i husen. Samordning mellan de delar som kommer att bli platsbyggda infrastrukturen är viktig. I rapporten redovisas synpunkter från arkitekter, byggtekniker, statiker och installationstekniker, från modulproduktionen och från förvaltare. Vidare redovisas för ett tiotal materialval och Move Ins motiv till varför de valt just detta material. För samma material ger sedan någon tillverkare och förvaltare sin syn på dessa material. Detta gäller för fönster, våtrumsskivor, träullskivor, klinker, linoleummatta, utomhus - och inomhusfärg, trästomme, grundläggning och köksluckor. Motivet till Move Ins val är att lösningarna som givet dessa materialval ofta är grundade på underhålls- och miljöaspekter. Rapporten är till viss del en sammanfattning och en analys av två examensarbeten, referens (Nygren, 2003)[15] och (Ellervik och Brorsson, 2004) [17].

To certify buildings has become a part in the ambition to strive for sustainable development inthe construction industry. Today, a number of certification programmes exist, with variousextents and focus areas.The purpose of this report is to provide an understanding of the three most commoncertification programmes used in Sweden.A comparison regarding the certifications programmes requirements and categories ofevaluation has been made. For this attempt 9 main categories of evaluation were created. Thecomparison treated office buildings and unfurnished commercial buildings. One part of thecomparison consists of an attempt to determine whether it is easier to gain high ratings in acertain programme.The choice of certification programmes and the choice of building types to analyse are basedon answers obtained through questionnaires. The questionnaires were answered byrepresentatives of the three largest construction companies in Sweden.The certification programmes treated in this report is two programmes that are usedworldwide (BREEAM and LEED), and one programme that is only used in Sweden(Miljöbyggnad). The extents of the two international systems are equal, while the Swedishsystem is not as extensive. BREEAM and LEED take into consideration both building andsurrounding area, in a long-term perspective. Unlike BREEAM and LEED, Miljöbyggnadfocuses solely on the building itself. All three systems have in common that they to a largepart focuses on indoor environment and the well being of humans.The comparison shows that Miljöbyggnad is the certification programme in which it is easiestto gain a high level of certification. One major reason to this is that Miljöbyggnad has a lowerextent than the other programmes.

The environmental performance of district heating (DH) pipes insulated with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) foams and pipes insulated with polyurethane (PUR) foam was discussed. It was found that carbon dioxide blown PET foam insulated DH pipes have the potential to compete successfully in terms of environmental performance with cyclopentane blown PUR foam insulated pipes provided that commercial methods to produce PET foam of lower density are developed. It was also found that the utilization of recycled PET can reduce the environmental impacts and would contribute to the efficient use of resources in society. The potential for improvement in the long-term thermal and environmental performance of PET is high.

The reason behind this work is that BBR introduced new energy rules as of January 2012. There is a great deal of older timber buildings on the countryside of Närke. The condition these building are in varies, some are in a better shape and some in a worse. Some of these buildings could use additional isolation and improved density as they tend to have air leakage. The purpose with our work is that we want to energy improve a timber house called Närkestuga both from, and without, a conservation point of view. The results we got was that it is possible to energy improve a certain kind of Närkestuga with small means that would not corrupt its characteristics. It is however not possible to meet BBR:s conditions, even with bigger kinds of energy improvements. The only way to do it is to change heat source in the building in which case it would not be counted as a electric heated building anymore. This would make our energy improvement that we calculated on enough to fulfill the conditions from BBR.

Environmental awareness and increased interest in energy-efficient housing have made the buildings more insulated in Sweden. Usually, it is quite easy to calculate a profit from a greater amount of insulation, in the long term. This is usually the seller’s main argument to why the client should choose the thicker insulation. For a client that wants to build a rental property, it is usually the economy that determines whether a project should be started or not. Hopefully this study will be a help to choose the most economic insulation thickness in walls.

The purpose of this study is to investigate where the optimum of wall insulation thickness is in an apartment building for renting which is built on a limited area. Quite often there are requirements for a maximum building area from the municipality, which means that the rentable living space will come smaller when the insulation gets thicker.

Qualitative interviews were used to determinate the common wall constructions which the insulation would be optimized for. These walls were placed in a theoretical reference building in which the energy use were estimated using hand calculations where mathematical expressions of a variety of insulation thickness were used. Thereafter, the prices of the walls were calculated using a spreadsheet program called Sektionsdata. A life cycle cost analysis was performed in which the historical statistics on rents, energy prices and interest rates were used. Finally, the optimal insulation thickness was found for each wall type.

The wall types chosen were a wall of concrete and brick, a wall of concrete and rendering, a wall of wood and brick and a wall of wood and rendering. Optimal insulation thickness of the wall with concrete and brick ended up at 84mm. For the wall of rendered concrete, the optimal insulation thickness ended up at 88mm. The optimal insulation thickness of the walls of wood could not be found as the wall structure with two and three insulation layers made the walls too isolated in an economic perspective even at a minimal thickness of the layer that was going to be optimized.

The study shows that with current building codes in Sweden it is profitable to keep down the wall insulation thickness in an apartment building for renting, built on a limited area.

The district heating industry is currently searching for new installation fashions for district heat distribution networks in order to decrease the cost of installation. The heat losses cause a large part of the lifetime cost and environmental impacts of district heating networks. This paper presents how the multipole method can be used for quick and accurate determination of heat losses from different installation alternatives of one or more insulated pipes in the ground. The multipole method utilises the cylinder geometry and the fact that real and imaginary parts of analytic functions satisfy Laplace equation to solve steady state heat conduction problems around pipes. The problem is solved in complex coordinates by using line sources and multipoles at the pipes. An equation system for the strengths of the line sources and multipoles is obtained. The equation system may be implemented in Mathcad or similar. Within negligible computer time a result of very high accuracy is obtained. As an example heat losses from two pipes in the ground are calculated. Two laying alternatives are studied: side-by-side and one pipe placed on top of the other. As heat is lost through the ground surface the total heat loss will increase slightly for shallower laying of the pipes and for the supply pipe put on top of the return pipe. Influences of the input parameters are studied for the side-by-side laying case.

A method for calculation of long-term heat losses from polyurethane foam insulated twin pipes is presented, accounting for the spatial dependence and time variation of the insulating capacity of the foam. With aid of a coordinate transformation the cross-section of the twin pipe is mapped onto a rectangular geometry, which facilitates the modeling. Preliminary results given by the new model are compared to results given by a previous model.

Goal, Scope and Background. The idea of district heating is to transport centrally produced heat to buildings where it is used for space heating and for domestic hot water generation. Water is used as a heat carrier. Many different heat sources are used to supply district heating networks with hot water. In literature, environmental studies on district heating mainly consider emissions from the heat generation; environmental impacts from the distribution system are seldom discussed. This paper is the third in an article series on the environmental impacts from the district heat distribution system. The paper presents an evaluation of the use phase of district heat distribution, focusing on long-term thermal performance of different district heating pipes. An overall discussion, in which environmental impacts from the different life cycle phases of district heat distribution are compared, is also presented.

Methods for the Use Phase Study. Environmental impacts from use of district heat distribution systems were evaluated based on heat losses from the networks, which depend on the long-term thermal performance of the district heating pipes. The heat losses cause environmental impacts from extra heat generation needed to cover the losses.

The long-term thermal performance of preinsulated bonded district heating pipes with steel tube, polyurethane foam insulation and polyethylene casing, depends on the thickness and quality of both the insulation and the casing. One important attribute of the foam is the blowing agent used. The blowing agent influences both the initial insulating capacity of the foam and the ageing characteristics, due to differences in migration rates of different substances through the materials.

Heat losses were calculated for different district heating pipe dimensions (DN25 twin pipe, and DN25, DN100 and DN500 Series 2 single pipes). Pipes with two different foam blowing agents (cyclopentane and carbon dioxide) were studied, taking into account the differences in long-term thermal performance of the foams. Concerning emissions from heat generation, two heat sources were considered: heat generation according to the average district heating fuel mix used in Sweden in the year of 2000, and heat generation using natural gas heat only boilers. The functional unit used is 100 m of district heat distribution network during 30 years of use.

Results and Discussion on the Use Phase. A short description of the inventory, some inventory results and a life cycle impact assessment are presented. Characterizations according to GWP, AP, POCP and resource depletion are given as well as two weightings: EcoIndicator99 and Ecoscarcity. The DN25 twin pipe network has about 25% lower environmental impacts from use than the DN25 Series 2 single pipe network. The district heating pipes insulated with cyclopentane blown polyurethane foam have a better environmental performance during use compared to those insulated with carbon dioxide blown foam (6-13%). This is partly dependent on a higher initial insulating capacity of the cyclopentane blown foam, but also due to a slower deterioration of the insulating capacity over time. For the two heat sources considered, different impact assessments give different indications to which option that is environmentally preferable.

Overall Results and Discussion on Pipe Production, Network Construction and Network Use Phases. A comparison of the three life cycle phases studied in this article series was made concerning four emissions, the four characterizations and the two weightings. The use phase represents over half of the total environmental impact for most, but not all, environmental parameters studied. It is important to keep the heat losses from the network down and to strive for heat sources with low environmental impacts. The larger the pipe, the larger is the relative impact from pipe production. The network construction phase has a relatively small contribution to the total environmental impact in most systems studied. However, the emissions during network construction often occur in residential areas and may therefore not be neglected when immediate nuisances and health aspects are considered. A very small change of the material flows in the production phase, the change between two different blowing agents (cyclopentane and carbon dioxide), can give dramatic results for the total environmental outcome for the district heating network because of a large change in influence on environmental impacts during use. The DN25 twin pipe network proves to be environmentally advantageous compared to the DN25 Series 2 single pipe network during all of the studied life cycle phases. Recommendations and Perspectives. It is important to make sure that improvements in the production and construction phases do not lower the insulating capacity of the district heating system. A good initial insulating capacity, maintained over time, is important for the environmental performance of a district heat distribution network. Using DN25 twin pipes instead of DN25 Series 2 single pipes is a better choice, when possible, regarding all studied life cycle phases. The environmental impact from use of the district heat distribution system depends heavily on the type of energy source that is utilized to supply the network with heat.

The envelope of low-energy buildings is generally constructed with significant amounts of plastics, sealants and insulation materials that are known to contain various chemical additives to improve specific functionalities. A commonly used group of additives are flame retardants to prevent the spread of fire. In this study, decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) and fourteen emerging brominated flame retardants (BFRs) were analyzed in indoor dust, air and on the window surface of newly built low-energy preschools to study their occurrence and distribution. BDE-209 and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) were frequently detected in the indoor dust (BDE-209: <4.1-1200 ng/g, DBDPE: <2.2-420 ng/g) and on window surfaces (BDE-209: <1000-20 000 pg/m² , DBDPE: <34-5900 pg/m² ) while the other thirteen BFRs were found in low levels (dust: <0.0020-5.2 ng/g, window surface: 0.0078-35 pg/m² ). In addition, the detection frequencies of BFRs in the indoor air were low in all preschools. Interestingly, the dust levels of BDE-209 and DBDPE were found to be lower in the environmentally certified low-energy preschools, which could be attributed to stricter requirements on the chemical content in building materials and products. However, an increase of some BFR levels in dust was observed which could imply continuous emissions or introduction of new sources.

Soiling of surfaces in historical buildings by deposition of particles is a common problem. Minimizing soiling is an important goal for conservation of structures and objects. The surfaces give rise to an interference with the air motions along the surfaces. Properties of surfaces may therefore influence the particle deposition. It is well known that with increasing roughness of the surfaces the particle deposition rate increases. The properties of surfaces in historical buildings are not well documented.  We have investigated samples of surfaces finished by wood float finish, steel float finish and brushed finish. As a reference we have used an MDF board. The geometrical properties of the surfaces have been documented by using the stripe projection method. The resistance to airflow along the surface and the turbulence generated by the surfaces has been investigated by recording the boundary layer flow over the surfaces in a special flow rig. The work reported is part of a project where the process of soiling is studied both in laboratory and in field studies. The air velocity adjacent to the surfaces will be recorded with both PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) and hot-wire technique. The temperature gradient close to the walls will be recorded with cold-wire technique.

The use of supply jet flows is the most common type of air distribution for general ventilation. Usually the supply flow rate is constant or slowly varying (VAV-systems) to cope with a varying load. A novel air distribution method, with the potential to reduce stagnation and to increase the ventilation efficiency, is to introduce rapid flow variations (pulsations). This paper reports on a fundamental study of this type of air distribution. The purpose of the study was to explore the effect of flow variations on stagnant zones and the levels of the turbulent kinetic energy and the relative turbulence intensity. A small scale room model is used that consists of an enclosure with a ventilation supply at the bottom and an extract at the top of the opposite wall. Water was used as an operating fluid and the model had a design which mainly generated a two-dimensional flow. The size of the model made it possible to investigate the two-dimensional velocity vector field using the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) method in regions corresponding to occupied regions. Further post processing was conducted from the resulting vector fields. The comparison between cases of constant inflow and pulsated inflow (flow variations with frequency of 0.5 Hz) was conducted for three domains: two belonging to the far-field occupied zone and one belonging to the near-field, downstream of the supply wall jet.

Construction of Swedish buildings today places higher demands on the heat-insulating capacity of the building envelope in the house built. This in turn places higher demands on the structures and also creates new problems. Standard solutions that previously worked well are being replaced by new, sometimes untested, solutions. The tougher demands on energy and moisture design means that the choice of substrate material is of greater importance than before when designing buildings.Here we have tried to give a realistic view of how the choice of studs can affect energy and humidity conditions of a building with curtain walls, focusing on studs in the field. The survey used reference objects projects in the form of drawings provided by the supervisor at Clarus Architects. Using these, three-dimensional calculations were made showing firstly that the choice of material can be of great importance both for the energy and moisture, and secondly, that the relationship is not necessarily simple. The importance of the choice of studs varies depending on how the wall is built. By a laboratory experiment, the correlation between slotted and unslotted outer wall studs was examined to provide greater understanding and verifying the accuracy of the calculations compared to a real wall. The last task proved difficult to achieve, but it was clear that the studs had great significance for the temperature distribution in a wall.

This is a reprint from vol 8 no 2 which has not previously beeen available electronically.

In the building sector, value for the customer, is often regarded as being value for money and this, in turn, is achieved by means of competitive tendering. However, there are companies that also focus on innovation as a competitive parameter in their contribution; hereafter referred to as innovative companies. Five managing directors from innovative companies in Sweden were interviewed about how innovation is dealt with in their respective companies. As well as the importance of information, this study points to two additional important factors for innovation, namely cooperation with a carefully chosen partner and the transference of values to the employees. Those innovative companies made careful choices and use means of information, cooperation, value and vision to create innovation in order to build trust for the company and for its products and services. 

The Australian Construction Industry is now facing skills shortages in all trades. As an industry focused on the skill of its workforce, there is now concern the Australian standard in quality, workmanship, and productivity will inhibit both at national and international level.

This research paper addresses the underlying, influential factors concerning skills shortages in the Australian construction industry. The influential factors addressed include funding, training statistics, employer expectations, financial limitations, Industrial Relations and immigration. Given the reference to skills shortages within the industry, and documented in related literature, if skills shortages are to continue to exist, their effect will impact upon the overall performance of construction companies throughout Australia.

Abstract

The aim of this examination paper is to get an overview on the “no-maintenance” windows

that exist on the Swedish market, like plastic and aluminium windows.

By way of introduction the reader gets knowledge in the background and problemformulate

that this subject has. This introduction explains why it has become so popular to change

your windows into plastic- and aluminium windows and there is an existing scepticism

against PVC and aluminium as construction material for windows.

The main part of this report is constructed by segments of interviews where both

producers of windows and stakeholders gets to answer questions about their viewing on

no-maintenance windows from a material and construction point of view and where the

production is headed to in the future. This is followed by an evaluation of a questionnaire

on how pleased the house owners that changed their old windows to no-maintenance

windows are, followed by an inspection of windows made up from wood and an aluminium

clothing, windows made from only aluminium and PVC-based windows. It ends with a

theory part about the materials PVC and metal based upon facts included in literature.

By reading this report you can draw the conclusion that no window can be entirely nonmaintenance

but that the materials PVC and aluminium still are good substitutes for wood

to lessen the maintenance.