Environmentally Friendly Office Building

Perché gli “ecosistemi tribali” dei coworking sono così attraenti rispetto ai modelli tradizionali del vivere lavorativo? Forse perché offrono potenziali dinamismi impliciti alle reti di collaborazione multidisciplinari delle antiche piazze-mercato, quali vere e proprie fucine di innovazione sociale?

L’interazione acustica, cioè la chiacchierata estemporanea con persone con background diversi e specializzati in discipline altrettanto diverse è certamente uno dei fattori in grado di generare un volano relazionale e una conseguente crescita conoscitiva a una velocità difficilmente raggiungibile in una dimensione individuale. In essi si origina una sorta di naturale ecosistema dinamico in grado di generare spontanee reti di collaborazioni orizzontali tra gruppi professionali spesso totalmente disomogenei.
Oggi, i coworking “globali” sono infatti popolati da persone che fanno ogni sorta di attività: liberi professionisti, creativi, avvocati, imprenditori, commercialisti, programmatori ecc. Peraltro in ognuno di essi, così come negli antichi mercati, si genera un equilibrio competitivo con chi svolge lo stesso “mestiere”, si apprezza cioè il gomito-a-gomito della competizione “palese” rispetto a quella, spesso occulta, che si vive giornalmente nelle “forzate” dimensioni lavorative aziendali. […]

The increasing attention to the environmental and health impacts of industrial activities by governmental regulations and by the growing awareness level in the society is forcing industrialists to reduce the use of mineral oil-based metalworking fluids as cutting fluid. Cutting fluids have been used extensively in metal cutting operations for the last 200 years. In the beginning, cutting fluids consisted of simple oils applied with brushes to lubricate and cool the machine tool. As cutting operations became more severe, cutting fluid formulations became more complex. There are now several types of cutting fluids in the market and the most common types can be broadly categorized as cutting oils or water-miscible fluids. In this review, the applicability of vegetable oil-based metalworking fluids in machining of ferrous metals has been undertaken. The advantages of metalworking fluids and its performances with respect to the cutting force, surface finish of work piece, tool wear and temperature at the cutting zone have been investigated. It has been reported in various literature that metalworking fluids, which are vegetable oil-based, could be an environmentally friendly mode of machining with similar performance obtained using mineral oil-based metalworking fluids. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. Allrightsreserved.

http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0890695511001726/1-s2.0-S0890695511001726-main.pdf?_tid=264eeadc-1d34-11e4-ae6e-00000aacb35f&acdnat=1407307234_34c85dbb762d33f91af7172058226f2e 
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890695511001726

Parlare di ergonomia e società oggi, nel pieno del dibattito sui risvolti sociali ed economici della globalizzazione, a qualcuno potrebbe apparire fuori luogo o addirittura anacronistico ma non è assolutamente così. Appare peraltro più utile farlo ora che nel recente passato per la rapidissima evoluzione dei modelli e sistemi di lavoro (di tipo fisico, cognitivo e organizzativo) e dei riflessi negativi che la cosiddetta Società della Conoscenza sta generando nelle persone. Come, ad esempio: l’ansia di adattamento a situazioni in continua evoluzione e problemi di disorientamento causati dal sovraccarico cognitivo. L’ergonomia del secondo millennio è oggi una moderna disciplina scientifica system-oriented che si occupa di questo e di tanto altro. Studia l’interazione tra le persone e gli elementi tecno-digitali e sociali del sistema in cui interagiscono con l’obiettivo di ottimizzare benessere e performance: ossia di renderlo (il sistema) compatibile con i bisogni, le capacità e i limiti delle persone in tutti gli aspetti delle attività umane... vedi - pagg.36-40

Introduction. Microclimate of office premises is an important factor of the work environment for office employees, requiring creation of optimal work conditions and developing preventive measures.
The purpose of the study was to establish the influence of office microclimate on indicators of employees’ thermal state and their subjective evaluation of the thermal environment, to identify further improving of hygiene regulations.
Materials and methods. The studies on work conditions were conducted in warm and cold periods of the year, according to requirements of normative documents, at 180 work places of office workers (engineers, programmers, systems administrators, heads of sectors, task administrators, electronic engineers, engineers of telecommunication) at enterprises and public institutions in the city Kyiv. The study of the human thermal state (HTS) with subjective evaluation of the comfort constituent of the thermal environment was carried out in warm (June – August) and cold seasons (December - February) covering 112 office employees, according to Methodical recommendations № 5168-90.
Results. It is established that the temperature at workplaces of office workers exceeds the permissible temperature ranges by 1,2–2,4°Caccording to the sanitary norms for microclimate in Ukraine, but meets the requirements of the ISO 7730:2005 for the thermal environment of the categories B and C (sensation of the thermal discomfort no more than in 10 % and 15 % of users, respectively). It is revealed that at the standard workplace of an office worker the total heat emission makes 452,3 kcal/h or 530 W. At the same time, for a person engaged in office work, it makes 48 % of the total heat emission, on the average, and for the office equipment – 52 %. Basing on the questioning, a relation between the thermal sensation of office workers and the air temperature in office premises in warm and cold seasons was calculated. There are proposed measures for creating comfortable microclimatic conditions for office workers.
Conclusion. The thermal sensation assessment in office workers shows that the upper threshold for uncomfortable air temperature at work places in the warm period (in summer) is more than 27 °C, in the cold period (in winter) – more than 24 °C. There is a need to revise The Sanitary norms on microclimate 3.3.6.042-99 in respect of its optimal parameters, taking into account methodological approaches of the State Sanitary technical specifications 7730:2011,in respect of the definition of categories of premises and a number of unsatisfied persons. In order to maintain optimal parameters of the relative air humidity in office it is recommended to use ultrasonic humidifiers of Vitek VT-1762W type for normalization of the air ionic content in office premises.

Вступление. Микроклимат офисных помещений является важным фактором производственной среды, что требует создания оптимальных условий труда и разработки профилактических мероприятий.
Цель исследования – установить влияние микроклимата офисных помещений на показатели теплового состояния работающих и их субъективную оценку комфортности тепловой среды, определить дальнейшее совершенствование его гигиенической регламентации.
Материалы и методы исследования. Исследования условий труда проведены в теплый и холодный периоды года по требованиям действующей нормативной документации на 180 рабочих местах офисных работников (инженеры-программисты, администраторы систем, начальники секторов, администраторы задач, инженеры-электронщики, инженеры электросвязи) на предприятиях и государственных учреждениях г. Киева. Изучение теплового состояния человека (ТСЧ) с субъективной оценкой комфортности тепловой среды проведено в теплое (июнь–август) и в холодное (декабрь–февраль) время года у 112 офисных работников в соответствии с MР № 5168-90.
Результаты. Установлено, что температура воздуха на рабочих местах офисных работников выходит на 1,2–2,4 °C за границы диапазона допустимых температур по действующим в Украине санитарным нормам микроклимата, но, удовлетворяет требования ISO 7730:2005 для помещений категории В и С (ощущение температурного дискомфорта не больше, чем в 10 и 15 % пользователей соответственно). На типовом рабочем месте офисного работника суммарное тепловыделение составляет 452,3 ккал/ч или 530 Вт. При этом на долю человека, занимающегося офисной работой, в среднем приходится 48 % общего тепловыделения на рабочем месте, а на долю офисного оборудования – 52 %. На основании анкетного опроса рассчитана зависимость между теплоощущениями работающих и температурой воздуха в офисном помещении в теплый и холодный периоды года. Предложены меры по созданию комфортных микроклиматических условий.
Выводы. По оценке теплоощущений офисных работников, в среднем, верхним порогом появления некомфортной температуры воздуха в помещении в теплый период (летом) являются температура более 27 °C, в холодный (зимой) – более 24 °C. Санитарные нормы микроклимата ДСН 3.3.6.042-99 требуют пересмотра в части его оптимальных параметров, с учетом методических подходов ДСТУ Б ENISO 7730:2011 относительно определения категории тепловой среды помещений и расчета количества недовольных микроклиматом работников. Для поддержания оптимальных параметров относительной влажности воздуха в офисном помещении рекомендовано применение ультразвуковых увлажнителей воздуха типа Vitek VT-1762W, имеющих положительным побочным эффектом нормализацию аэроионного состава воздуха.

Вступ. Мікроклімат офісних приміщень є важливим чинником виробничого середовища на робочих місцях офісних працівників, що вимагає створення оптимальних умов праці та розробки профілактичних заходів.
Мета дослідження – встановити вплив мікроклімату офісних приміщень на показники теплового стану працюючих та їхню суб’єктивну оцінку комфортності теплового середовища, визначити подальше удосконалення його гігієнічної регламентації.
Матеріали та методи дослідження. Дослідження умов праці проведено в теплий та холодний періоди року за вимогами діючої нормативної документації на 180 робочих місцях офісних працівників (інженери-програмісти, адміністратори систем, начальники секторів, адміністратори задач, інженери-електронники, інженери електрозв’язку) на підприємствах та державних установах м. Києва. Вивчення теплового стану людини (ТСЛ) з суб’єктивною оцінкою комфортності теплового середовища проведено в теплу (червень–серпень) та в холодну пору року (грудень–лютий) у 112 офісних працівників відповідно до MР № 5168-90.
Результати. Встановлено, що температура повітря на робочих місцях офісних працівників виходить за межі діапазону допустимих температур на 1,2–2,4 °С за діючими в Україні санітарними нормами мікроклімату, але задовольняє вимоги ISO 7730 для теплового середовища категорії В і С (відчуття температурного дискомфорту не більше ніж у 10 та 15 % користувачів відповідно). Досліджено, що на типовому робочому місці офісного працівника сумарне тепловиділення у середньому складає 452,3 ккал/год або 530 Вт. При цьому на саму людину, що займається офісною працею, у середньому припадає 48 % загального тепловиділення, а на офісне обладнання – 52 %. На підставі анкетного опитування розраховано залежність між тепловідчуттям працюючих та температурою повітря в офісному приміщенні в теплий та холодний періоди року. Запропоновано заходи зі створення комфортних мікрокліматичних умов.
Висновки. За оцінкою тепловідчуття офісних працівників верхнім порогом появи некомфортної температури повітря в приміщенні в теплий період (влітку) є температура більша ніж 27 °C, у холодний (взимку) – більша ніж 24 °C. Санітарні норми мікроклімату ДСН 3.3.6.042-99 потребують перегляду в частині його оптимальних параметрів, з урахуванням методичних підходів ДСТУ Б ENISO 7730:2011 щодо визначення категорії теплового середовища приміщень та розрахунку кількості незадоволених осіб. Для підтримання оптимальних параметрів відносної вологості повітря в офісному приміщенні рекомендовано застосування ультразвукових зволожувачів повітря типу VitekVT-1762W, що мають позитивним побічним ефектом нормалізацію аероіонного складу повітря.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) is a North American system launched in 1998 to assess sustainability parameters in buildings. It is managed by a non-governmental organization, the US Green Building Council (USGBC®), that was formed in the early 1990s. The system has obtained global relevance, and for this reason it has been a case study for several authors, who discuss the system’s technical performance and sustainability impact. Nevertheless, as this research is developed in the field of history and tenets of architecture and urbanism, other debates and scientific instruments arise. LEED®’s technical aspects are examined in order to clarify its operation premises, following the research hypothesis that these premises would have impact in the disciplines of architecture and urbanism, especially in their design strategies. Therefore, the thesis inquires the system in five parts. In the first part, it is reported the system’s history by means of identifying the agents involved in its formation and the positions disputed at that time. In the second part, it is carried out a conceptual elucidation of LEED® by means of establishing the references used by its founders, including it in the discussion of ecological modernization and ecocapitalism. In the third part, LEED®’s architectural and urbanistic impacts are formulated. On the one hand, the impacts are virtual – that is to say, they are related to the horizon of design potentialities implicit to LEED® –, while on the other hand they are empirical, an aspect that is detailed using two clusters of buildings located in marginal Pinheiros, in São Paulo, certified by LEED® Core & Shell. In the fourth part, the same methodology is applied, but this time to LEED® for Neighborhood Development. At last, in the fifth part, the connections between patterns and the architectural and urbanistic production of global cities are formulated. The research findings revealed how LEED® Core & Shell may support certain features of the North American corporate tower, how LEED® for Neighborhood Development sets the New Urbanism in a technical pattern and how the market may stress architectural and urbanistic questions in order to fulfill non-environmental design criteria. LEED® is read as a technology of neoliberalism, as it underlies global financial exchanges by offering parameters for the comparability between projects and mensuration of their features.

The history of the Sparre palace addresses the main stories of the house's existence from construction until today. One of the main stories is about the Sparre family's ambition to build palaces in the capital. The family's construction ambition was included in the kingdom's grand plan to involve the elite in the interests of the country by attracting it with high offices to Stockholm's castle. The nobles would thus leave their country castles to invest and manifest themselves in the capital. The result was a beautiful and lavish architecture that put Stockholm on the European power map. Riddarholmen became the supreme-most neighborhood of the high-aristocrats early on, and the family Sparre received a prominent presence here thanks to royal rewards in the form of land donations and public assignments. The Sparre palace stayed in the family's possession for several generations but was then sold on to a number of senior officials.

The transition from private home to office building belongs to the second important story about the house. The castle fire and the country's growing administrative apparatus created an increasing need for new office space, which during the 18th century gradually took on the nobility's comfortable and representative palaces in the capital. The Crown bought the Sparreska Palace among its first new office buildings. The authorities' high demands on suitable interiors and their internal organizational transformations have strongly influenced the house since then.

The growing population and the increasing in demand for building services and comfort level, accompanied by the rising in time
spend inside the buildings,  have  inevitably  increased  our built  environment energy demand.  It is significant for us to examine the optimum
lighting system that is energy efficient as well as ensuring visual comfort to the office occupants in tropics. The field of daylighting as well as
task based lighting have been studied extensively decades ago and it is found to save lighting energy and becoming the occupants’ preference
over the  conventional office  ceiling artificial  lights. However,  many  of these research outcomes  come from the northern temperate  climate,
where  sky  condition  and  sun  radiation  are  significantly  different  from  the  tropics.  The  paper  investigates  the  office  occupants’  mood,
preference and  energy saving value for the lighting design of 2 different office spaces, one  which is sufficiently day lit and equip with task
lights,  and  another  space  which  has  conventional  electrical  lighting  design.  A  triangulation  mixed  mode  research  is  carried  out  where
questionnaires were given to total of 11 people in the 2 office space, physical observation and field measurements verify the preferred lighting
environment for the office space over 8 days duration. The result shows that occupants in a day lit design office with majority recorded lux
level falling below the 300-400lux level as suggested by MS1525 has a higher satisfaction level as well as positive mood and preference. Also,
across  the  8  days  of  measurement,  100%  of  lighting  energy  savings  was  achieved  in  the  office  space  that  utilizes  daylight  design  and
supplemented by task light in comparison to conventional office electrical down light design.

Currently, polymer modified asphalt mixture is a relatively costly mixture for paving roads. One way to reduce the cost of such constructions and rendering them more convenient is by using inexpensive polymers, i.e. waste polymers. The main purpose of this research is to determine the effect of incorporating waste plastic bottles (Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)) on the engineering properties of stone mastic asphalt (SMA) mixture. The volumetric and mechanical properties of asphalt mixes that include various percentages of PET (0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8% and 10%) were calculated and assessed with laboratory tests. The appropriate amount of PET was found to be 6% by weight of bitumen. The outcomes were statistically analysed and the determination of the significance at certain confidence limits was performed with the two factor variance analysis (ANOVA). Moreover, some studies conducted on polyethylene modified asphalt mixture have also been taken into consideration in this paper. The results show that the addition of PET has a significant positive effect on the properties of SMA and it can promote the re-use of waste material in industry in an environmentally friendly and economical way.► The PET increased the stiffness level of the mixture improving its resistance level against permanent deformation. ► The effects of waste PET on Marshall Stability, air void and bulk specific gravity of the mixture are significant. ► The appropriate amount of PET was found to be 6% by weight of bitumen.

The objective of this research is to establish the most effective sustainable interior architectural methods and to study the role of interior architect in the integrated design process proposed for the application of these methods in building design. Although offices are taken as an example, essentially most types of new buildings are in the scope of this work. First, special consideration is given to importance of design management to overcome the difficulties that arise in various design stages; integrated design process proposed for this reason is described in comparison to that of traditional design; how and when the design tools can be used is explained. Next, sustainable design is taken into consideration with its environmental, social and economic parameters and the answer to the question of how these factors can be directed by the interior architect is seeked. The contributions of interior architects in early design phases are investigated in an inclusive manner of all the phases of building life cycle. Under this perspective, indoor environmental quality, depletion of natural resources, pollution and economic activities have been studied with regards to the building phases, nature and quality of life and the target values to be used by the interior architect and the methods required to achieve these values have been compiled and evaluated. In this study, the building is handled as a whole and the areas of activity of the other participants with whom the interior architect shall work in coordination due to the interconnectedness of the systems are referred when necessary. As the case study, three examples of large office buildings that had interior architects in their integrated design teams and reached to high performance targets are examined. In conclusion, by giving reference to these successful buildings, light is shedded on the future of interior architecture discipline in Turkey and the steps required to be taken for more sustainable buildings are discussed.
Number of Pages: 217
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Burçin Cem Arabacıoğlu

The versatile dynamic space constitutes an urgent demand inside office
buildings whether common or private. The measurements of human factors
engineering play an important role to fulfill functional and aesthetical
requirements in aspect of managerial planning and organizing and fluidity
of circulation inside these offices. The position of conventional static and
fixed office had been changed. It could be adapting office interiors with
human needs of office space occupants. Following up current developments
of office systems design and planning became a necessity to increase
personnel and employees productivity, capability and efficiency of
management and communications. Systems performance can be enhanced
by facilitating extended opened spaces, using of indirect dividing partitions,
physiological factors by adding good lighting, acoustics and thermal
insulation, ventilation, comfort sitting posture and psychological factors in
terms of color harmony and furniture surfaces colors in addition to internal
dimensions calculations of office space, furniture units and office fittings
which contribute to increase functional exploitation of areas ,surfaces and
fixed and mobile furniture.

In this study, experimental research was carried out to investigate the performance of R22 ‎and its ozone-friendly alternative refrigerants (R404A and R507) in a window air-conditioner. ‎The performance parameters of the system using R22 were considered as benchmarks and ‎those obtained using alternative refrigerants were compared. Experimental results showed that ‎R22 had the lowest pressure ratio and discharge temperature closely followed by R507. The ‎average discharge temperature obtained using R507 and R404A were 4.2% and 15.3% higher ‎than that of R22, respectively. The lowest compressor power and energy consumption were ‎obtained from R507 retrofitted system. Also, the highest refrigeration capacity and ‎Coefficient of Performance (COP) were obtained using R507 in the system. The average ‎refrigeration capacities of R507 and R404A were 4.7% higher and 8.4% lower than that of ‎R22, respectively, while the average COP of R507 increased by 10.6% and that of R404A ‎reduced by 16.0% with respect to that of R22. Generally, the investigation has revealed that ‎R507 can be used successfully as a retrofitting refrigerant in existing window air-conditioners ‎originally designed to use R22 in the event of HCFC phased out‎.

This study presents a retrofit strategy: integrating optimized photovoltaics (PV) in the form of responsive shading devices using a dual-axis solar tracking system. A prototype-based model was fabricated to compare the efficiency of PV in this implementation with the conventional fixed installation. The office building, T1 Empire World in Erbil, was selected as a retrofit case study and for the application of the proposed integration system. In order to assess the effectiveness of the proposed retrofit method, the energy performance of the base case is simulated to be compared later with the energy performance simulations after the integration technique. The amount of generated electricity from the PV surfaces of the integrated shading elements is calculated. The energy simulations were performed using OpenStudio ® (NREL, Washington, DC, USA), EnergyPlus TM (NREL, Washington, DC, USA), and Grasshopper/ Ladybug tools in which the essential results were recorded for the baseline reference, as well as the energy performance of the retrofitted building. The results emphasize that the PV-integrated responsive shading devices can maximize the efficiency of PV cells by 36.8% in comparison to the fixed installation. The integrated system can provide approximately 15.39% of the electricity demand for operating the building. This retrofit method has reduced the total site energy consumption by 33.2% compared to the existing building performance. Total electricity end-use of the various utilities was lowered by 33.5%, and the total natural gas end-use of heating demand was reduced by 30.9%. Therefore, the percentage reduction in electricity cooling demand in July and August is 42.7% due to minimizing the heat gain in summer through blocking the sun's harsh rays from penetrating into interior spaces of the building. In general, this system has multiple benefits, starting with being extremely efficient and viable in generating sustainable alternative energy—which is the global growing concern of today's sustainable development—providing thermal comfort for occupants, and granting a dynamic appearance to the building when the PV-integrated elements rotate according to the sun's position in the sky.

The field of office daylighting  is vital  for both energy efficiency practice and occupants’ visual comfort. With the
emergence of green building emergence in Malaysia, building designers are exploring avenues for energy efficiency
design;  one  common  strategy  is  daylighting.  The  majority  literature  reviews  on  daylighting  are  skewed  towards
temperate or developed countries, where sky luminous condition is different from that of the Tropics. Conventional
daylighting system designs redirect daylight from the envelope or atrium openings i.e. daylight shelves. Presumed to
be the pioneer daylight trough in the Tropics, this paper presents the simulated and in-situ lighting level measurements
prior to occupancy. This case study presents an as-built daylight trough design which is able to daylight the office
space as deep as 6 meters sufficiently. It achieves a lighting power density 1.90W/m2 and saves 39.2% of lighting
energy over conventional office lighting energy. Discussed further is the practicality of working with such a system,
including cost implication, return on investment and contractual challenges in reaching consensus of the design. The
results  reinforce  that  the  effectiveness  of  daylighting  design  is  very  dependable  on  the  sun  path  and  obstacles
surrounding  the  office  tower.  The  RADIANCE  simulation  correlates  well  to  field  measurement  results.  Further
investigation  into  the  light  trough,  its  lighting  energy  savings,  users’  interaction,  visual  comfort  and  glare  is  still
ongoing.

Abstract:
Building sector has been accounted for 40% of total energy consumption in the European Union and the United States. Accordingly, building companies and governments are responding to make new buildings self-sufficient and to become “nearly zero-energy buildings”. Implementing passive environmental design strategies, local resources, and sustainability principles have become a must to enhance building’s efficiency. Indeed, buildings’ performance change according to the climatic zones. Considering vernacular architecture principles while designing, constructing, and orienting buildings would help reducing energy consumption, enhance indoor and workspace quality. HVAC systems and artificial lighting are taking the biggest share of energy consumption in office buildings. Hence, heating, ventilating and indoor lighting are among the most issues that could arise during design process to tackle. This paper will draw on sustainability principles referencing from vernacular architecture to discuss office buildings’ design strategies in temperate dry climate. The paper also aims to review design process from the settlement stage to envelope implementation. Finally, it will consider climate adaptation, and spaces usage to reduce energy consumption, minimize the impact on the environment, and respect the surrounding nature to achieve sustainable architecture goals.
Keywords: Energy-efficient buildings, office buildings, temperate-dry climate, sustainable architecture, passive design.

Currently, polymer modified asphalt mixture is a relatively costly mixture for paving roads. One way to reduce the cost of such constructions and rendering them more convenient is by using inexpensive polymers, i.e. waste polymers. The main purpose of this research is to determine the effect of incorporating waste plastic bottles (Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)) on the engineering properties of stone mastic asphalt (SMA) mixture. The volumetric and mechanical properties of asphalt mixes that include various percentages of PET (0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8% and 10%) were calculated and assessed with laboratory tests. The appropriate amount of PET was found to be 6% by weight of bitumen. The outcomes were statistically analysed and the determination of the significance at certain confidence limits was performed with the two factor variance analysis (ANOVA). Moreover, some studies conducted on polyethylene modified asphalt mixture have also been taken into consideration in this paper. The results show that the addition of PET has a significant positive effect on the properties of SMA and it can promote the re-use of waste material in industry in an environmentally friendly and economical way. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261306911004225

The basic operational parameters of a simplified pico-hydropower system with provision for water recycling
were investigated as part of an ongoing development. Five highly simplified locally fabricated turbines of
runner diameters 0.45, 0.40, 0.35, 0.30 and 0.25 m were tested in conjunction with five pipes of diameters
0.0762, 0.0635, 0.0508, 0.0445 and 0.0381 m as penstocks and five simple nozzles of area ratios 1.0, 0.8, 0.6,
0.4 and 0.2 based on each penstock diameter. The effective vertical height from the outlet of the overhead
reservoir to the plane of the turbine shaft was 6.95 m. A 1.11 kW electric pump was used to recycle the water
downstream of the turbine back to the overhead reservoir. The mean maximum and minimum rotational speeds
of the shaft of each turbine were measured for each penstock diameter and nozzle area ratio. The volume of
water displaced was also measured. The measured data were used to compute shaft power, volumetric flow rate
and flow rate/net head product for each operation. The shaft power was then plotted against the flow rate/net
head product for each pair of turbine and penstock diameters to obtain expressions resembling the analytical
expression for hydraulic power. The results obtained will be useful in the process of developing the system as a
simple, environmentally friendly and decentralized small power generation system that could potentially
contribute positively to the Nigerian energy mix

Office  lighting  is  vital  for  energy  savings  and  occupant’s  visual  comfort  being.  Energy  efficient  lighting  has  been  studied
extensively in the aspect of daylighting harvesting and task ambient lighting, predominantly in Temperate developed countries.
However,  the  lack  of  evident  on  the  effectiveness  of  low  ambient  task  lighting  in  the  Tropics  has  prompted  this  paper  to
investigate  the  practicality  of  such  lighting  design  for  the  Tropics.  This  paper  explores  into  the  office  occupant’s  mood  and
preferences of low ambient task lighting for the office in the Tropics. It also discusses the recorded work plane illumination level
upon  the  usage  of  such  lighting  system.  It  studies  the  impact  of  such  lighting  design  on  people’s  preference,  work  plane
illumination for three office spaces with different luminous environment. In regards to the source of ambient lighting, two offices
harvest  daylight,  and  another  uses  the  conventional  overhead  lights  in  accordance  to  MS1525  recommendations.  Three  of  the
offices  have  15  samples  respectively  and  the  lighting  level  is  measured  across  a  month.  The  results  of  before  and  after  the
provision of task light reveal that the acceptance for low ambient task lighting system and it is widely preferred. However, the
task light is not necessary utilized as some people are adapted to do computer work under low ambient lighting (~50-150lux). It
shows  that  people’s  preference  over  work  plane  illuminance  varies  greatly.  Many  agree  that  they  are  in  control  with  their
personal  lighting  environment  when  an  appropriate  glare-free  task  light  is  being  used.  The  paper  recommends  that  office
luminous  measurement  shall  take  other  lighting  parameters  such  as  the  vertical  illuminance  and  luminance  ratio  into
consideration.

Central tendency and upper limit concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) measured in indoor air are summarized and reviewed. Data were obtained from published crosssectional
studies of residential and office buildings conducted in North America from 1990
through 2001. VOC concentrations in existing residences reported in 12 studies comprise the majority of the data set. Central tendency and maximum concentrations are compared between
new and existing residences and between existing residences and office buildings. Historical
changes in indoor VOC concentrations since the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 are
explored by comparing the current data set with two published reviews of previous data obtained
primarily in the 1980s. These historical comparisons suggest average indoor concentrations of some toxic air contaminants, such as 1,1,1-trichloroethane have decreased.
1

This study investigated workers' sweating occurrence in radiant cooling office in Malaysia. We studied the Energy Commission's Diamond Building in Putrajaya, which is equipped with radiant slab cooling. The objective was to determine the effect of sweating on workers' thermal sensation. We adopted the survey procedure from the ASHRAE 55 and the ISO 7730 standards and applied to the building's second and sixth floors. 132 data sets were collected from 49 subjects whom were office workers. The data is collected continuously for four days (two days for each floor) during working hours using two online questionnaires that concised of background and daily surveys. Findings showed that sweating influenced the subjects' thermal comfort sensation vote quite significantly (p < 0.05). Sweating also lead to workers feeling dissatisfied with the overall thermal environment (p < 0.01). In term of location, floor level and office layout had no affect on subjects' sweating occurrence. Workers complained that they sweat more frequently when stationed close to the external glazed wall of the case study building (p < 0.05). An even stronger relationship between sweating occurrence and workstation orientation was reported from workers whom were stationed at the West and South facing workstations compared to other workstation orientations (p < 0.01). Sweating was affected by the variation in outdoor temperature, (p < 0.05). In order, sweated subject preferred increased air speed, adding fans, more fresh air, and open the windows, (p < .05), (p < .01), (p < .05), (p < .05). Sweated subjects were more content with the workplace ambient condition associated with radiant cooling system compared to one that used airconditioning system.

The study reflects on the strategies of adaptation to the urban environments in aging, with allusions to Latin America. The results indicate the existence of problems derived from analytical reductionism and the simplification of the theoretical models on environmental adaptation and aging. Maladjustment is determined by personal abilities (social exclusion, disability and dependency) and, mainly, urban physical-social problems. Likewise, environmental adaptation strategies for active aging in the place are proposed from the evaluation of personal assets, as well as the attributes and functions of the urban environment.

El estudio reflexiona sobre las estrategias de adaptación a los entornos urbanos en el envejecimiento, con alusiones a América Latina. Los resultados indican la existencia de problemas derivados del reduccionismo analítico y la simplificación de los modelos teóricos sobre la adaptación ambiental y el envejecimiento. La desadaptación está determinada por las capacidades personales (exclusión social, discapacidad y dependencia) y, principalmente, por los problemas físico-sociales urbanos. Asimismo, se proponen estrategias de adaptación ambiental para el envejecimiento activo en el lugar, a partir de la evaluación de los activos personales, así como de los atributos y funciones del ambiente urbano.

In this chapter, we ask how those developing new and refurbishing existing offices produce building infrastructures that service a particular form of ‘normal’ office work. In particular, we focus on how various standards shape the design of office infrastructures and their utilisation of infrastructures of electricity provision. By standards, we mean agreed rules which coordinate the process of designing offices and which specify acceptable levels of provision (Bowker and Star, 2000; Timmermans and Epstein, 2010). We focus on how standards represent ‘normal’ office infrastructure capable of servicing ‘normal’ work practices. Using examples from the speculatively developed office market in London, UK, in the years 2010–2015, we show then how complex interplays between different standards generate interlocking effects that tie ‘normal’ offices (at least in the context of an international financial centre) to specific levels of infrastructural provision which have become ubiquitous.. Underlying this are particular assumed understandings of work practices which drive understandings of what is ‘needed’ in a ‘normal’ office.

The study aims to find out the influence of environment friendly attributes on the willingness of consumers to purchase the product. It also aims to determine the type of emotions elicited by these kinds of consumer products. It was hypothesized that buying eco products can elicit different kinds of emotions in consumers. These emotions are usually positive that cause attraction to consumers and eventually the actual purchase of the product. An exploratory pre-purchase affect survey was conducted through field and online survey to determine what shoppers feel while looking for eco products to buy. Results revealed that participants significantly experience more positive feelings/emotions than negative feelings/ emotions when buying eco-products while participants are indifferent in experiencing positive and negative feelings/emotions when buying non-eco products. This study provided information on the importance of incorporating ecological attributes to the design of consumer products. As of now, not all companies offer eco-friendly products because it is not known if consumers are willing to pay more for the "environment friendly" attribute. This study hopes to shift the paradigm of companies as it will try to establish the emotional attachment of consumers to product attributes related to the environment.

The basic operational parameters of a simplified pico-hydropower system with provision for water recycling
were investigated as part of an ongoing development. Five highly simplified locally fabricated turbines of
runner diameters 0.45, 0.40, 0.35, 0.30 and 0.25 m were tested in conjunction with five pipes of diameters
0.0762, 0.0635, 0.0508, 0.0445 and 0.0381 m as penstocks and five simple nozzles of area ratios 1.0, 0.8, 0.6,
0.4 and 0.2 based on each penstock diameter. The effective vertical height from the outlet of the overhead
reservoir to the plane of the turbine shaft was 6.95 m. A 1.11 kW electric pump was used to recycle the water
downstream of the turbine back to the overhead reservoir. The mean maximum and minimum rotational speeds
of the shaft of each turbine were measured for each penstock diameter and nozzle area ratio. The volume of
water displaced was also measured. The measured data were used to compute shaft power, volumetric flow rate
and flow rate/net head product for each operation. The shaft power was then plotted against the flow rate/net
head product for each pair of turbine and penstock diameters to obtain expressions resembling the analytical
expression for hydraulic power. The results obtained will be useful in the process of developing the system as a
simple, environmentally friendly and decentralized small power generation system that could potentially
contribute positively to the Nigerian energy mix.

This study presents a retrofit strategy: integrating optimized photovoltaics (PV) in the form of responsive shading devices using a dual-axis solar tracking system. A prototype-based model was fabricated to compare the efficiency of PV in this implementation with the conventional fixed installation. The office building, T1 Empire World in Erbil, was selected as a retrofit case study and for the application of the proposed integration system. In order to assess the effectiveness of the proposed retrofit method, the energy performance of the base case is simulated to be compared later with the energy performance simulations after the integration technique. The amount of generated electricity from the PV surfaces of the integrated shading elements is calculated. The energy simulations were performed using OpenStudio ® (NREL, Washington, DC, USA), EnergyPlus TM (NREL, Washington, DC, USA), and Grasshopper/ Ladybug tools in which the essential results were recorded for the baseline refer...

The field of office daylighting is vital for both energy efficiency practice and occupants’ visual comfort. With the emergence of green building emergence in Malaysia, building designers are exploring avenues for energy efficiency design; one common strategy is daylighting. The majority literature reviews on daylighting are skewed towards temperate or developed countries, where sky luminous condition is different from that of the Tropics. Conventional daylighting system designs redirect daylight from the envelope or atrium openings i.e. daylight shelves. Presumed to be the pioneer daylight trough in the Tropics, this paper presents the simulated and in-situ lighting level measurements prior to occupancy. This case study presents an as-built daylight trough design which is able to daylight the office space as deep as 6 meters sufficiently. It achieves a lighting power density 1.90W/m2 and saves 39.2% of lighting energy over conventional office lighting energy. Discussed further is th...

Nowadays renewable energy is important and environmentally friendly, as it does not pollute and costs little. Solar energy is one of the main photovoltaic system types of energy. For those with no access to the main network due to geographical location, this kind of energy is beneficial and valuable in providing the needed electrical energy. This paper presents photovoltaic system modeling, temperature, its variation and irradiation, and how the system connects to the DC bus via a DC/DC converter. It has the ability to follow maximum power point tracking (MPPT) by a special control circuit, something useful in hybrid systems. Finally, an inverter is used to transfer power to the AC network and decrease the harmonic in the connection point.

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=6190558

This paper presents findings from a physical model investigation of an atrium building with four type of structured roof are shown. The experimental investigation allowed the author to evaluate daylight penetration in the atrium, while the adoption of varied modern structured roof constructions for the atrium allows one to obtain an insight into their effect upon the variation on daylight distribution patterns in terms of Daylight Ratio on horizontal surface. Intermediate skies revealed a complex pattern on daylight performance in the atrium attached by varied roof structure. From the results, it is clearly shown that, a high contribution of daylight penetration appears at the centre nearest to the atrium opening, while the transmittance of the atrium roof structure decreased the illuminance level at the corner by 50%. The flat roof has the highest daylight illumination for both skies condition The study also found that, under overcast skies, critical attention should be made to the...

Environmental issues such as climate change and global warming are problems that raise many debates nowdays. Office as an everyday place for workers activities also has a deal in the environmental degradation. The excessive use of electricity or wasteful use of water are some aspects that cause an environmental degradation in office. Thus, building an office with environmental friendly concept could be an alternative as a movement for environmental concervation. The purpose of this writing is to explain how an environmental office can be made with analyses from various sources.

Isu-isu lingkungan seperti perubahan iklim dan global warming merupakan masalah yang kerap diperbincangkan di masa ini. Kantor sebagai tempat para karyawan bekerja sehari-hari tidak luput menyumbang pada kerusakan lingkungan. Penggunaan listrik yang berlebih atau penggunaan air yang boros adalah sekian dari aspek yang menyebabkan kerusakan lingungan dari kantor. Untuk itu, pembangunan kantor dengan konsep ramah lingkungan bisa menjadi alternatif dalam upaya pelestarian lingkungan. Oleh karena itu, tulisan ini memaparkan bagaimana kantor yang ramah lingkunhan bisa dibuat yang dianalisa dari berbagai sumber. Kata kunci: ramah lingkungan, kantor, kantor ramah lingkungan, eco-friendly, bangunan hijau, arsitektur hijau

This study investigated the head covering in a radiant cooling Malaysian office building. We studied the Energy Commission's Diamond Building in Putrajaya, which is equipped with radiant slab cooling. The objective was to determine the effectiveness of head covering on thermal comfort. We adopted the assessment procedure from the ASHRAE 55 and the ISO 7730 standards and applied to the building's second and sixth floors and analysed the data through cross tabulation. We collected 132 data sets completed by 49 participants continuously for four days (two days for each floor) during working hours. The survey was the results of two online questionnaires (a background survey and a daily survey). In the dissatisfaction with overall thermal environment and actual mean vote, the analysis showed a strong correlation between head covering and discomfort (warmer feel) (V = .5, p< .01). We correlated the head covering with all of the independent variables in the background and daily surveys. Females outnumbered male in wearing a head covering (V = .8, p<.001). Wearing a head covering was not affected by age(V = .3, p > .05). Wearing a head covering does not affect subjects' dissatisfaction with floor temperature (V = .3, p> .5). Person who wore a head covering preferred increased air speed (V = .4, p< .05). Wearing a head covering increased the sweating (V = .3, p< .05).In conclusion, wearing a head covering affects thermal comfort in radiant cooling office building.

Among the alternative fuels the Bio diesel is one the most common and familiar to all. It's biodegradable, environment friendly as well as suitable source, to meet the future energy crises. The main concern of this experimental analysis is to reach a tentative goal, how this fuel can be utilised with maximum effective way. To find this ,an experiment data analysis of different parameter such as break power, break specific fuel consumption, emission characteristic(NO x, HC,CO. etc) and exhaust temperature, is done through bio diesel fuel and also compared with ordinary diesel which is also known as petro diesel. This investigation is carried out through eddy current dynamometer and load cell arrangement which is controlled by a computer in case of finding the break power and BSFC respectively. And the emission characteristics are observed using Bosch and Bacharach exhaust analyzers. And finally the result is compared with diesel engine which is run by ordinary diesel. The final result implied that the bio diesel with some additives (B20+1%) shows best performance and reduce the exhaust emission including NO x.Thus the decision may be taken,20% blended bio diesel with 1% additive as a best alternative fuel considering all the view aspects and alternatives. © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876610211045632 
http://ac.els-cdn.com/S1876610211045632/1-s2.0-S1876610211045632-main.pdf?_tid=54085724-a9c6-11e3-81cf-00000aab0f02&acdnat=1394615683_6664911a7bc56a482e075669df8a3456

Modern offices are traditionally associated with air-conditioning systems, however recently concerns for improving environmental performance in buildings have led to the integration of natural ventilation with the creation of hybrid systems called mixed-mode. While air-conditioning conforms to steady state conditions of thermal comfort, the mixed-mode allows variations associated with external thermal conditions to improve indoor air quality and people’s thermal comfort. This study focused on understanding people’s behaviours and perceptions in a multifunctional space of an office designed with ecological principles. The National Australia Bank (NAB), Melbourne Docklands, was conceived with a mixed-mode north façade that allows occupants to exercise adaptive strategies and among them, to choose between air-conditioning and natural ventilation. How design can improve the well-being of people and, in particular, how office design can be the reflection of people’s needs especially in regard to natural ventilation?

Many theories in sociology and psychology encourage people to maintain and contact with nature. Biophilia, for instance, examines the connection between humans and nature within the built environment. It is considered one of the solutions to human isolation from nature, especially in the workplace. This study examined the factors of employee's awareness and preference that affect biophilia application at the workplace. This study's primary data collection method is a survey questionnaire through which responses from 167 employees at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) were collected. The findings show that employee's awareness and preference have a significant positive effect on the biophilia application. Further research on this topic is necessary to understand other factors that may affect human's connection with nature at the workplace.