GroupA_poster 1
- 1. THE A-TEAM SUSTAINABLEDESIGN PROJECT Chris Aoun - Hakeem Buge - Edmund Chan - Matei Predescu - James Taylor University of Exeter MaterialsEnergy Performance Certificate An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is required upon construction of any new build property (gov.uk, 2015). The program iSBEM was used to produce an EPC to predict the houses final grade once constructed. All wall dimensions, U values, and building energy systems were inputted. The energy performance certificate shows that the house is expected to achieve an EPC rating of 10, which is equivalent to an A rating. This rating proves the houses inherent sustainable nature, and illustrates its low energy requirements. This is a rating only 0.1% of UK homes manage to achieve (easyepc.org, 2012). This EPC rating is only a prediction, and will need to be carried out in full once the house is fully constructed. It is likely that when this happens the EPC rating will drop due to differences between initial designs and the final construction. The minimum rating needed for an A grade is 25, meaning there is plenty of room for the rating to drop whilst still being an A grade. Floor Plans & Fire Escape Introduction As the project stipulates, the property is designed to be a truly sustainable, beautiful and enjoyable family house located on the site of an abandoned shallow stone quarry near Carharrack, close to Redruth. The building is required to have a kitchen, a lounge, a dining room, 4 bedrooms, garage space for 2 vehicles, storage space etc. The design meets all of set requirements whilst making strides to minimize energy consumption, carbon emissions (by incorporating renewable energy technologies) iSBEM The program iSBEM was used to produce an England Building Regulations part L 2013 report, and an Energy Performance Certificate. Together, they provide a full energy breakdown of the property. The results from the building regulations report are displayed in graphical format. The table above shows (in green) the U values of all the structures in the house and all of them fall within the U-limit, proving that the insulation up to a high standard. U values are used as a good indication of the heating requirements of a house and by reducing the heating requirements for this specific house, the heat pump will have less demand (meaning more storage) and, in turn, it will mean there is less of a load on the PV panels especially during periods of peak demand. The above information was used to produce the following annual heating demand charts. The chart below shows clearly that there is no fuel usage and approximately 14kg of CO2 are released per m2. However, 9kg of these 14 are displaced by the use of the photovoltaic panels. The program has estimated that the remaining of the electricity will be grid imported however, since the house is off-grid the remaining 5kgCO2/kg will be displaced by the backup bio-diesel generator. Building Regulations The first regulations that were considered are under category M of the building regulations. These regulations consider the access and use of the building. It was decided that the property will be wheelchair accessible to comply with category 1 of the regulations. The following dimensions were all exceeded. The minimum outside slope and path requirements were also considered, along with the minimum window sizes. There is a minimum lux requirement that must be met in each room. These requirements have been met, and in open areas exceeded. Downstairs toilets have minimum dimensions they must abide by to allow wheelchair access (8). These requirements were exceeded. Foundation: The type of foundation used for this house was dictated by the type of soil present on the site, which is predominantly clay. Clay has the negative characteristic of being expansive when wet. The displacement of the wet soil can damage the footing of a building. To mitigate this risk a slab on grade foundation was chosen for this project. In this type of foundation, the entire building is erected over a concrete slab of a significant thickness. According to the builder’s guide on home building and renovating UK (homebuilding.co.uk, 2015) a foundation between 700mm – 1000mm would be sufficient, we opted for a foundation depth of 1000mm. The bottom plate of the wood frame floor will be anchored into the slab with anchor bolts and washers. The wall stud should be securely connected to the band joists and bottom plate using approved metal clips or straps. Frame: The frames for the house were sourced from a Cornish framing company. Their closed panel products are insulated to the demands of their clients. The insulation type used in this building is 235mm of Rockwool. (mineral wool). The walls are made from timber frame, they have service voids, a vapour layer and wood cladding on the outside finishing. The ensemble timber frame gives the walls a U- value of 0.13 W/m2K. The roof of the building is a pitched roof, the insulation is located on the pitched rafter line, the rafters are 150 mm deep and the insulation between rafters is 140 mm thick. The roof has a well ventilated air layer, a breather membrane as well as an unventilated air layer and standard wallboard plasterboard, which is also supplied by Frames UK. The U-value was found to be 0.18 W/m2K The flooring: The chosen floor design is a suspended timber ply on timber flooring. The floor is constricted using wood joists resting on double plates Floor joists will be supported by exterior walls as well as interior load- bearing walls. Smaller sleeper walls are often used to add support below suspended wooden floors at ground level. The floor surface us constructed by laying wooden boards sheets across the joists. (The DIY Network, 2016) The floor joists are included in the framing supplied by Frame UK. The insulation in the floor system is 75mm thick giving the floor a U-value of 0.25 W/m2K. The floor is covered with chipboard 20mm thick. (All images in materials section sourced from RockWool.co.uk 2016) Roof insulation Floor insulation