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Lotte M. B. Jensen, Ph.D., Technical University of Denmark
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Kristoffer Negendahl, Technical University of Denmark
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At the technical University of Denmark, research in energy balance in buildings in relation to indoor climate has been performed with good results for decades. During the last 2 decades, research in the field of Integrated Energy Design (IED) focusing on the earliest design phases has played a major role. Research demonstrate that the largest effect in relation achieving net zero energy buildings is obtained when indoor climate and energy simulation tools are applied from the first architectural sketches, where geometry, façade design and orientation etc. is determined. Large architectural offices and engineering consultancies in the region have invested in software and interdisciplinary design teams and perform Integrated Energy Design (IED). Legislation has been altered; Simulations of indoor climate and energy balance is required in order to obtain building permits. IED has been rolled out extensively in the building industry. Having reduced the energy needed to operate the indoor environment to almost zero, by designing with knowledge and optimizing systems, the energy needed to construct the building and its systems comes forth as important. The CO2 impact of buildings becomes an important parameter because sustainability certification systems like Deutche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen (DGNB) has taken a lead in Europe. The DGNB system includes Life Cycle Assesment (LCA) and Danish government has stated that Denmark must be CO2 neutral by 2050. The focus shifts from energy and indoor climate to CO2 impact in relation to design. The experience from the decades of IED manifests, that the largest gain in reduction stems from the early design phases. LCA in relation to buildings has to include the energy needed to operate the buildings indoor climate as well as embodied CO2 in the building. This makes the simulations far more complex. LCA thus tends to be placed in the last design phases and used for evaluation: only a single iteration is needed. However real-time LCA simulation tools are required, if designers are to base design decisions on not only knowledge concerning indoor climate and energy balance but also LCA. The paper presents the efforts at DTU, Department of civil engineering, to develop real-time LCA simulation tools including indoor climate and energy balance simulation (based on Energy +) and first round of implementing the tool at well esteemed architectural offices in the Nordic Countries. The development of the real-time LCA-indoor climate- energy balance tool was developed by funding from the Nordic Built Foundation.
