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Papers by Vincent Buhagiar
Cost C16, improving the quality of existing urban …, 2007
Page 221. 211 State of the Art: Malta Vincent M. Buhagiar University of Malta, Faculty of Archite... more Page 221. 211 State of the Art: Malta Vincent M. Buhagiar University of Malta, Faculty of Architecture & Civil Engineering, Department of Architecture & Urban Design ABSTRACT: This paper gives an overview of the present status ...
This paper spans across the three pillars of sustainability and outlines how a sustainability ind... more This paper spans across the three pillars of sustainability and outlines how a sustainability index can be applied in the context of the building industry, using Malta as a case study. Sustainability criteria are identified which can help promote a culture change in the way most of our clients view a project as different from a contractor's point of view. Design considerations are also dealt with pointing one way forward if Malta really wants to reduce the environmental impact of buildings. Highlighted issues touch on the visual impact (aesthetics), materials, embodied energy, lighting, space heating and finally ending with an epilogue on land use and waste management, being only the tip of the 'mountain' in Malta.
Due to higher demand for housing in Malta, local single-family dwellings, typically terraced hous... more Due to higher demand for housing in Malta, local single-family dwellings, typically terraced houses, are being demolished to make way for maisonettes and multiple storey apartments. This increases the energy demand per square metre that would lead to a greater load on the infrastructure. This paper describes the first example of building an energy efficient housing block that integrates energy efficient measures and renewable energy systems, as a sample of Maltese housing stock working towards a sustainable housing vision.
In view of the limited land available for new development in Malta, 20-year old, two-storey terra... more In view of the limited land available for new development in Malta, 20-year old, two-storey terraced houses are today making way for apartment blocks, typically 5 floors in height, including a number of basement parking levels. This calls for additional civil works beyond simply building the plot, namely involving demolition and excavation below ground level. The new development is sandwiched between two existing terraced houses or similar blocks, thus any excavations are bound to adversely affect neighbouring property to some magnitude. Buildings are constructed in load bearing masonry walls with reinforced concrete slabs having a simple bearing on masonry walls. A soft storey is often introduced to satisfy parking or commercial requirements. This heavy form of construction lacking flexibility is prone to cracking. Studies suggest that blasting, piling, pneumatic machinery and heavy vehicles' road traffic cause ground-borne vibrations. These typically translate into intolerable noise levels, even if claimed as only temporary. Tolerance limits vanish when nominal superficial cosmetic cracks develop into structural damage to neighbours' property. These points to the need to assess and regulate the allowable noise and vibration levels in urban areas in order to curtail noise levels, thus preventing unnecessary neighbourhood disturbance, and ultimately structural damage. Through fieldwork on five building sites and empirical studies this paper investigates noise and vibration levels generated from site excavations using standard pneumatic plant. Results already indicate that values obtained are well within established International Standards, however complaints still arise. These stem from cosmetic or serious structural damage to neighbouring property. Currently, in Malta there is no control on the permissible vibration levels or allowable noise levels for such sites. The paper goes on to recommend the allowable limits for noise levels generated from ground-borne vibrations.
Research has amply shown that by improving the energy efficiency of buildings, the European Union... more Research has amply shown that by improving the energy efficiency of buildings, the European Union (EU) could reduce its total energy consumption and associated carbon emissions by a considerable amount. To address this aspect, the EU in 2002 issued Directive 2002/91/EC (later repealed by Directive 2010/31/EC), primarily requiring Member States to set up a system where buildings would be certified for their energy efficiency. In this context, each Member State was required to develop and institute its own methodology for the certification of buildings. Most countries achieved this through the creation of a dedicated software tool conforming to this calculation methodology. In Malta, the national calculation tool developed is the ‘Energy Performance Rating of Dwellings in Malta’ (EPRDM). Although available since 2009, very little feedback is available on how the software has so far performed in terms of providing a useful platform for the issue of energy performance certificates of bu...
The effect of roof mounted photovoltaics on the heat transfer performance of roofs has primarily ... more The effect of roof mounted photovoltaics on the heat transfer performance of roofs has primarily been investigated in the context of the resulting shading effect. The convective heat transfer coefficient will change as a result of the blockage caused by the photovoltaic panels. In this work, a quantification is given of the differences between heat transfer coefficients on a bare roof and a roof with photovoltaic panels having a specified configuration. A computational fluid dynamics approach is used. The study is only preliminary and hence a standard k-e turbulence model is used. The presence of photovoltaics is found to increase the convective heat transfer coefficients by around 26% for a north wind. The influence on the U-Value depends on the type of roof construction but for summer conditions an increase in U-value is observed which has positive cooling effects.
Reducing energy consumption in buildings has become a priority for most countries. However, desig... more Reducing energy consumption in buildings has become a priority for most countries. However, designing energy-efficient buildings is not a straightforward task - the increasing demand for high comfort standards, provided by conventional ‘energy-hungry’ cooling and heating devices conflicts with the need for demand reduction. Trigeneration, the simultaneous production of electricity, cooling and heating is often viewed as a means of improving energy-efficiency in large and medium sized buildings whilst still delivering thermal comfort. For hot climates, the benefit of utilising the waste heat emitted from an engine unit to power a thermally driven cooling device provides scope to utilise an otherwise wasted energy stream. However, in smaller sized residential buildings, the relatively low and intermittent energy demand coupled with high capital costs, has stifled the uptake of the technology - although the potential for substantial energy savings exists. Moreover, it is very common fo...
Even if initially dominated by cost concerns, energy-awareness is today maturing towards a vision... more Even if initially dominated by cost concerns, energy-awareness is today maturing towards a vision aimed at curtailing energy consumption and reducing carbon emissions. In consideration of today’s large amount of tyres being used and disposed of, the purpose of this research was to investigate options for utilising recycled rubber as a building material (in combination with inert demolition waste), namely as insulation in flooring elements such as tiles, such a mix could replace new underlay insulating materials typically having a higher embodied energy content. This paper evaluates the potential of recycling used tyres in specially fabricated floor tiles for different design mixes and evaluates the success/failure of such a building element as a floor finish. The study also looks into the best combination of materials to form a durable, non-abrasive robust tile, yet also acting as a thermal and moisture barrier. An added value of the proposed tile is its acoustic property, where the...
The aim of this research was to explore the potential of exploiting ground source cooling, utilis... more The aim of this research was to explore the potential of exploiting ground source cooling, utilising the high thermal mass of the indigenous sedimentary rock, globigerina limestone, typical of the Maltese Islands. Based on earlier studies of horizontal and vertical pipe configurations, it was established that the vertical U-tube pipe is more efficient. This demonstrated that at 20m depth ground temperatures were around 20C all year round. This prompted further studies with various refined parameters, this time moving from fieldwork to numerical simulations, facilitating a greater variety of trials. A mathematical model of the system was developed and implemented into a computational model to simulate the heat transfer processes. This model was calibrated using results from the field tests. The computational model was also used to carry out a more elaborate parametric analysis of the system and to simulate its performance in a variety of configurations. Preliminary results indicate ...
With a view towards minimising energy demand for cooling and artificial lighting in buildings, th... more With a view towards minimising energy demand for cooling and artificial lighting in buildings, this paper evaluates innovative shading devices and how they can balance a generous degree of control mastering seasonal natural light with thermal gains in a typical Mediterranean climate such as Malta. The study evaluates the potential success (or failure) of such shading devices, from both their aesthetic and functional perspectives, as part of a passive design strategy adopted by the architect. Through environmental design and solar geometry, experimental simulations were generated in architectural science modelling software package Ecotect© developed by Andrew Marsh. Moreover a novel computer model termed Solar Control© was developed by the authors in order to assist architects at an early stage during design.
Page 1. PLEA2009 - 26th Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, Quebec City, Canada, 2... more Page 1. PLEA2009 - 26th Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, Quebec City, Canada, 22-24 June 2009 Occupant Satisfaction in Post-Refurbishment of Historic Buildings Baroque case studies in Valletta, Malta VINCENT M. BUHAGIAR1 1Dept. ...
Cost C16, improving the quality of existing urban …, 2007
Page 221. 211 State of the Art: Malta Vincent M. Buhagiar University of Malta, Faculty of Archite... more Page 221. 211 State of the Art: Malta Vincent M. Buhagiar University of Malta, Faculty of Architecture & Civil Engineering, Department of Architecture & Urban Design ABSTRACT: This paper gives an overview of the present status ...
This paper spans across the three pillars of sustainability and outlines how a sustainability ind... more This paper spans across the three pillars of sustainability and outlines how a sustainability index can be applied in the context of the building industry, using Malta as a case study. Sustainability criteria are identified which can help promote a culture change in the way most of our clients view a project as different from a contractor's point of view. Design considerations are also dealt with pointing one way forward if Malta really wants to reduce the environmental impact of buildings. Highlighted issues touch on the visual impact (aesthetics), materials, embodied energy, lighting, space heating and finally ending with an epilogue on land use and waste management, being only the tip of the 'mountain' in Malta.
Due to higher demand for housing in Malta, local single-family dwellings, typically terraced hous... more Due to higher demand for housing in Malta, local single-family dwellings, typically terraced houses, are being demolished to make way for maisonettes and multiple storey apartments. This increases the energy demand per square metre that would lead to a greater load on the infrastructure. This paper describes the first example of building an energy efficient housing block that integrates energy efficient measures and renewable energy systems, as a sample of Maltese housing stock working towards a sustainable housing vision.
In view of the limited land available for new development in Malta, 20-year old, two-storey terra... more In view of the limited land available for new development in Malta, 20-year old, two-storey terraced houses are today making way for apartment blocks, typically 5 floors in height, including a number of basement parking levels. This calls for additional civil works beyond simply building the plot, namely involving demolition and excavation below ground level. The new development is sandwiched between two existing terraced houses or similar blocks, thus any excavations are bound to adversely affect neighbouring property to some magnitude. Buildings are constructed in load bearing masonry walls with reinforced concrete slabs having a simple bearing on masonry walls. A soft storey is often introduced to satisfy parking or commercial requirements. This heavy form of construction lacking flexibility is prone to cracking. Studies suggest that blasting, piling, pneumatic machinery and heavy vehicles' road traffic cause ground-borne vibrations. These typically translate into intolerable noise levels, even if claimed as only temporary. Tolerance limits vanish when nominal superficial cosmetic cracks develop into structural damage to neighbours' property. These points to the need to assess and regulate the allowable noise and vibration levels in urban areas in order to curtail noise levels, thus preventing unnecessary neighbourhood disturbance, and ultimately structural damage. Through fieldwork on five building sites and empirical studies this paper investigates noise and vibration levels generated from site excavations using standard pneumatic plant. Results already indicate that values obtained are well within established International Standards, however complaints still arise. These stem from cosmetic or serious structural damage to neighbouring property. Currently, in Malta there is no control on the permissible vibration levels or allowable noise levels for such sites. The paper goes on to recommend the allowable limits for noise levels generated from ground-borne vibrations.
Research has amply shown that by improving the energy efficiency of buildings, the European Union... more Research has amply shown that by improving the energy efficiency of buildings, the European Union (EU) could reduce its total energy consumption and associated carbon emissions by a considerable amount. To address this aspect, the EU in 2002 issued Directive 2002/91/EC (later repealed by Directive 2010/31/EC), primarily requiring Member States to set up a system where buildings would be certified for their energy efficiency. In this context, each Member State was required to develop and institute its own methodology for the certification of buildings. Most countries achieved this through the creation of a dedicated software tool conforming to this calculation methodology. In Malta, the national calculation tool developed is the ‘Energy Performance Rating of Dwellings in Malta’ (EPRDM). Although available since 2009, very little feedback is available on how the software has so far performed in terms of providing a useful platform for the issue of energy performance certificates of bu...
The effect of roof mounted photovoltaics on the heat transfer performance of roofs has primarily ... more The effect of roof mounted photovoltaics on the heat transfer performance of roofs has primarily been investigated in the context of the resulting shading effect. The convective heat transfer coefficient will change as a result of the blockage caused by the photovoltaic panels. In this work, a quantification is given of the differences between heat transfer coefficients on a bare roof and a roof with photovoltaic panels having a specified configuration. A computational fluid dynamics approach is used. The study is only preliminary and hence a standard k-e turbulence model is used. The presence of photovoltaics is found to increase the convective heat transfer coefficients by around 26% for a north wind. The influence on the U-Value depends on the type of roof construction but for summer conditions an increase in U-value is observed which has positive cooling effects.
Reducing energy consumption in buildings has become a priority for most countries. However, desig... more Reducing energy consumption in buildings has become a priority for most countries. However, designing energy-efficient buildings is not a straightforward task - the increasing demand for high comfort standards, provided by conventional ‘energy-hungry’ cooling and heating devices conflicts with the need for demand reduction. Trigeneration, the simultaneous production of electricity, cooling and heating is often viewed as a means of improving energy-efficiency in large and medium sized buildings whilst still delivering thermal comfort. For hot climates, the benefit of utilising the waste heat emitted from an engine unit to power a thermally driven cooling device provides scope to utilise an otherwise wasted energy stream. However, in smaller sized residential buildings, the relatively low and intermittent energy demand coupled with high capital costs, has stifled the uptake of the technology - although the potential for substantial energy savings exists. Moreover, it is very common fo...
Even if initially dominated by cost concerns, energy-awareness is today maturing towards a vision... more Even if initially dominated by cost concerns, energy-awareness is today maturing towards a vision aimed at curtailing energy consumption and reducing carbon emissions. In consideration of today’s large amount of tyres being used and disposed of, the purpose of this research was to investigate options for utilising recycled rubber as a building material (in combination with inert demolition waste), namely as insulation in flooring elements such as tiles, such a mix could replace new underlay insulating materials typically having a higher embodied energy content. This paper evaluates the potential of recycling used tyres in specially fabricated floor tiles for different design mixes and evaluates the success/failure of such a building element as a floor finish. The study also looks into the best combination of materials to form a durable, non-abrasive robust tile, yet also acting as a thermal and moisture barrier. An added value of the proposed tile is its acoustic property, where the...
The aim of this research was to explore the potential of exploiting ground source cooling, utilis... more The aim of this research was to explore the potential of exploiting ground source cooling, utilising the high thermal mass of the indigenous sedimentary rock, globigerina limestone, typical of the Maltese Islands. Based on earlier studies of horizontal and vertical pipe configurations, it was established that the vertical U-tube pipe is more efficient. This demonstrated that at 20m depth ground temperatures were around 20C all year round. This prompted further studies with various refined parameters, this time moving from fieldwork to numerical simulations, facilitating a greater variety of trials. A mathematical model of the system was developed and implemented into a computational model to simulate the heat transfer processes. This model was calibrated using results from the field tests. The computational model was also used to carry out a more elaborate parametric analysis of the system and to simulate its performance in a variety of configurations. Preliminary results indicate ...
With a view towards minimising energy demand for cooling and artificial lighting in buildings, th... more With a view towards minimising energy demand for cooling and artificial lighting in buildings, this paper evaluates innovative shading devices and how they can balance a generous degree of control mastering seasonal natural light with thermal gains in a typical Mediterranean climate such as Malta. The study evaluates the potential success (or failure) of such shading devices, from both their aesthetic and functional perspectives, as part of a passive design strategy adopted by the architect. Through environmental design and solar geometry, experimental simulations were generated in architectural science modelling software package Ecotect© developed by Andrew Marsh. Moreover a novel computer model termed Solar Control© was developed by the authors in order to assist architects at an early stage during design.
Page 1. PLEA2009 - 26th Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, Quebec City, Canada, 2... more Page 1. PLEA2009 - 26th Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, Quebec City, Canada, 22-24 June 2009 Occupant Satisfaction in Post-Refurbishment of Historic Buildings Baroque case studies in Valletta, Malta VINCENT M. BUHAGIAR1 1Dept. ...