Converge

low energy with active passiveness in a transparent highly occupied building

Abstract

This research gives an overview of the current comfort and energy performance, and
optional future design of highly transparent and lightweight buildings. The transparent Co-
Creation Centre in the Green Village at the TU Delft, has a combination of active and passive
climate control measures. The aim of the research is to show how transparent buildings with
a high glass/floor percentage (here 122 %) perform and how these could be optimized. An
overview of the research project and system integration is presented, with the focus on
energy, comfort and working of the BMS-system. Energy and comfort performances are
measured and simulated. Validation has been executed of daylight, solar heat access, and
thermal performances. A large Phase Change Material (PCM) buffer in the air handling unit
reduces the heating and cooling demand. Making use of passive qualities of the outdoor and
indoor air temperature and solar energy requires a more complex control strategy than
usual. A Model Predictive Control (MPC) strategy has been investigated and can optimize
the energy consumption.