Paper Conference

Proceedings of BSA Conference 2015: Second Conference of IBPSA-Italy

     

Integrated performance simulation of an innovative net zero energy modular building

Francesco Fantauzzi, Paolo Belardi, Francesco Asdrubali, Samuele Schiavoni, Sara Sambuco

Abstract: Currently the value and the appeal of a house are deeply influenced by its own energy performance and its comfort. As a consequence, several examples of net zero energy buildings have been realized worldwide in the last decade, using renewable energy sources for their moderate energy consumption. An architectural experiment of this kind of buildings is represented by shipping container houses that could be used not only in emergency situations but also as alternative guestrooms or also low-cost houses. The paper presents the results of software simulations carried out to evaluate the energy and lighting performance of three kinds of shipping container houses characterized by different floor areas and usage. The bigger one is a typical shipping container having a surface of about 14 m2 and a height of 2.4 m; the others have the same height but smaller surfaces, respectively of about 7 and 5.6 m2. The furniture was designed to be moved thanks to upper runners in order to use the same area for different domestic activities during the day. Each one of them was planned to be a net zero energy building obtaining energy from solar panels and clean water from rainfall. The lighting design was carried out using DIALux while energy performance was studied through Energy Plus. The first one allowed us to optimize the selection and the position of LED lighting systems in order to assure the recommended values of the Illuminance E. Moreover, some graphical renderings were realized in order to have a clear and simple evaluation of the visual performance of the internal spaces, also taking into account the contribution of daylighting. The characteristics of the lighting systems were used for the evaluation of the whole energy performance of the building. Energy Plus is the dynamic simulation software used to determine the energy demand of each container, taking into account the heating and cooling facilities, the insulation properties of the building envelope, windows and doors included. The results of this theoretical study show that this solution is technically feasible, cheap and also comfortable not only for emergency housing.
Pages: 273 - 280
Paper:
bsa2015_9788860460745_34