Multifunction fabrics for new building and retrofitting

30. December 2010

Solution provider

Every year, the Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Programme (EUDP) funds work by enterprises and universities on demonstration of new green energy technologies.

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The project has focused on achieving a better utilization of the construction in a building in order to reduce the energy consumption for heating and cooling. The concrete constructions may have a load bearing primary purpose but it makes sense to also use the great thermal of the concrete for a better indoor climate less temperature fluctuations. The project has worked with optimization of the thermal mass and more accurate; the diurnal heat storage capacity of the constructions.

Project manager:
Danish Technological Institute. Building Technology and Concrete

Participants:
Danish University and Property Agency
Henning Larsen Architects A/S
Department of Civil Engineering-AAU
Orbicon|Leif Hansen

Budget:
EDDP: DKK 2,560,000
Total budget: DKK 11,063,000

Completion:
4th quarter 2012

Results:
It has been documented in both simulations and laboratory test that a surface with and increased surface area – ie by grooves in the surface – with a factor 2 to 3 – will increase the diurnal heat storage capacity significantly. When utilized correctly this will reduce the amount of needed energy for heating and cooling. This result has had the effect that a great area of the new university building in Kolding has been built with bubble deck with an increased surface area.

In Danish building code it is demanded that an energy frame is calculated when designing new buildings. The diurnal heat storage capacity is a part of this calculation but is often just chosen as a value from a table. Often it is set high and not even calculated for the building at hand. Therefor an important result of the project is the online constructions of a given project and having the exact diurnal heat storage capacity calculated.

Using ifabrix.com will cause more precise energy calculations and compared to cases where the collective diurnal heat storage capacity was set to high it might cause a need for an energy design optimization and thus leading to a better result in the end and a lot of energy consumption saved in the years to come, for the future of building.