Industrial Transformation Research Hubs - Grant ID: IH150100030
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,577,087.00
Summary
ARC Research Hub to Transform Future Tall Timber Buildings. ARC Research Hub for Advanced Solutions to Transform Tall Timber Buildings. This hub aims to develop skills, knowledge and resources for novel designs of tall timber buildings that incorporate architectural, engineering and sustainability drivers while meeting regulatory constraints. The project aims to develop innovative engineering solutions that address crucial barriers to the use of structural timber in the fast growing and extensiv ....ARC Research Hub to Transform Future Tall Timber Buildings. ARC Research Hub for Advanced Solutions to Transform Tall Timber Buildings. This hub aims to develop skills, knowledge and resources for novel designs of tall timber buildings that incorporate architectural, engineering and sustainability drivers while meeting regulatory constraints. The project aims to develop innovative engineering solutions that address crucial barriers to the use of structural timber in the fast growing and extensive medium-rise tall buildings market where timber is, on many counts, the ideal construction material. It is expected that eliminating these barriers will open a new market for novel technologies and methods generated through this work.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101597
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$424,398.00
Summary
Integrated design optimization of novel photovoltaic envelope for buildings. The research will couple the building integrated renewable application with traditional architectural passive design strategies. A new indoor environment quality index will be proposed as an objective function to be optimized together with the net building energy consumption. Surrogate models trained for each modelling software will be incorporated into the proposed optimization algorithm to improve the calculation effi ....Integrated design optimization of novel photovoltaic envelope for buildings. The research will couple the building integrated renewable application with traditional architectural passive design strategies. A new indoor environment quality index will be proposed as an objective function to be optimized together with the net building energy consumption. Surrogate models trained for each modelling software will be incorporated into the proposed optimization algorithm to improve the calculation efficiency and provide a convenient tool to assist sustainable building designs. In addition, significant urban context parameters will be incorporated to quantify their impact. Research findings will serve as significant guidance to effectively promote the application of the passive design in green building projects.Read moreRead less
Improving thermal environment of housing for older Australians. This project aims to develop strategies to improve the thermal environment of housing for older Australians based on systematic investigations of the links between weather, thermal comfort, energy use, and well-being. The project will produce evidence-based guidelines and a framework about planning/design issues and operational/behavioural aspects to support older people living independently. Improved thermal conditions will lead to ....Improving thermal environment of housing for older Australians. This project aims to develop strategies to improve the thermal environment of housing for older Australians based on systematic investigations of the links between weather, thermal comfort, energy use, and well-being. The project will produce evidence-based guidelines and a framework about planning/design issues and operational/behavioural aspects to support older people living independently. Improved thermal conditions will lead to better quality of life, reduce the need for institutional care and reduce public health costs. They will also provide environmental benefits through reduced energy use and carbon emissions.Read moreRead less
Microbial infestation of pre-painted steel building materials: chemical and microbial characterization, model development and control strategies. Coated steel building materials are a multi-billion dollar Australian industry. Microorganisms form slime layers on those materials, which are unsightly and reduce their energy benefits. The project will identify the problem organisms, the factors that facilitate their growth and will develop novel biofilm resistant, functional building materials.
From innovators to mainstream market: a toolkit for transforming Australian housing and maximising sustainability outcomes for stakeholders. As a significant national asset, Australia's housing needs to provide economic, social and environmental value to occupants, owners and the broader society. Learning from innovation, this project will deliver strategies to improve the productivity of the housing sector and enhance the value proposition of sustainable homes for all stakeholders.
Bushfire-enhanced wind and its effects on buildings. This project seeks to advance our understanding of bushfire–wind interaction to improve current design standards for buildings against bushfire-enhanced winds. Bushfire-enhanced winds have caused considerable property damage and loss of lives. The project aims to identify the mechanisms governing bushfire–wind interaction and determine the wind load effects on buildings due to bushfire-enhanced wind. It aims to do so by using advanced computat ....Bushfire-enhanced wind and its effects on buildings. This project seeks to advance our understanding of bushfire–wind interaction to improve current design standards for buildings against bushfire-enhanced winds. Bushfire-enhanced winds have caused considerable property damage and loss of lives. The project aims to identify the mechanisms governing bushfire–wind interaction and determine the wind load effects on buildings due to bushfire-enhanced wind. It aims to do so by using advanced computation techniques and unique fire-wind tunnel test facility. This knowledge is designed to guide the development of improved building construction standards for bushfire-prone regions to facilitate the design and construction of a new generation of bushfire-resistant buildings that safeguard lives and properties against the increasing threat of bushfire due to climate change.Read moreRead less
Improving the Environmental Performance of Australian Construction Projects. This project aims to investigate the environmental impacts of construction in Australia through the development of a sophisticated hybrid environmental assessment model. The project aims to assist in identifying the most significant environmental impacts, critical areas for mitigation efforts and informing environmental policy and programs within the Australian construction industry. The development of one of the most s ....Improving the Environmental Performance of Australian Construction Projects. This project aims to investigate the environmental impacts of construction in Australia through the development of a sophisticated hybrid environmental assessment model. The project aims to assist in identifying the most significant environmental impacts, critical areas for mitigation efforts and informing environmental policy and programs within the Australian construction industry. The development of one of the most sophisticated and comprehensive models for assessing environmental impacts ever produced is expected to enable cost- and time-efficient evaluation of multiple environmental impacts at a high level of detail and completeness. This should lead to considerable improvements to the environmental performance of Australian construction projects.Read moreRead less
Transforming building environmental design: streamlining environmental decision-making for building designers. The project will significantly reduce national energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions associated with the construction and operation of new and existing buildings. This will help to reduce the potential impacts of climate change on Australians and provides a highly cost-effective solution for mitigating and adapting to climate change.
Impact and Effectiveness of Personal Ventilation in Open Plan Offices: a study of the Task Air system. Centralised air-conditioning systems are the standard for commercial office buildings in Australia. These systems are energy intensive, typically accounting for around 50% of building energy use. However, lack of occupant control over set temperatures or air movement tends to reduce thermal comfort, which can adversely affect worker productivity. The benefit of this project is that it will qu ....Impact and Effectiveness of Personal Ventilation in Open Plan Offices: a study of the Task Air system. Centralised air-conditioning systems are the standard for commercial office buildings in Australia. These systems are energy intensive, typically accounting for around 50% of building energy use. However, lack of occupant control over set temperatures or air movement tends to reduce thermal comfort, which can adversely affect worker productivity. The benefit of this project is that it will quantify the improvements to occupant comfort and energy savings possible with a PV system. This study will enable PV systems to be evaluated as an alternative to traditional air-conditioning, thereby demonstrating their effectiveness as a means of improving the sustainability rating of commercial office buildings in Australia.Read moreRead less
Decarbonising built environments with hempcrete and green wall technology. This project aims to develop an integrated prefabricated building panel solution combining green wall and hempcrete technology to address environmental problems associated with the usage of carbon intensive construction materials, dense urbanisation, climate change and biodiversity. Innovation in hempcrete technology consist in using low carbon options including alkali-activated binders and biomineralization technology, g ....Decarbonising built environments with hempcrete and green wall technology. This project aims to develop an integrated prefabricated building panel solution combining green wall and hempcrete technology to address environmental problems associated with the usage of carbon intensive construction materials, dense urbanisation, climate change and biodiversity. Innovation in hempcrete technology consist in using low carbon options including alkali-activated binders and biomineralization technology, glass waste replacing natural sand. Hempcrete green wall panels will be design to be carbon positive, improve the thermal performance of buildings, provide better acoustic insolation, reduce the risk of mould proliferation, control indoor humidity and air quality and improve indoor thermal comfort.
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