Research Topic 5: Building Envelopes for Enhanced Energy Efficiency and Resilience Against Heat-Related Extreme Events

Research Description

Buildings are major consumers of energy, particularly for heating and cooling. The building envelope, which includes the external walls, roof, and windows, is crucial for determining how much energy a building consumes. This envelope is also vital for maintaining a comfortable indoor climate during extreme weather conditions like heatwaves or cold snaps, especially when power outages occur. The term “passive survivability” refers to a building’s ability to keep conditions livable without relying on active heating or cooling systems. As extreme weather events become more frequent, there is a growing need to explore solutions that can sustain comfortable indoor conditions even during power outages. This research project aims to investigate how different materials used in building envelopes impact both energy consumption during regular operations and passive survivability during extreme conditions.

REU Research Plan:

Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) students will engage in a comprehensive research agenda that involves utilizing energy models to scrutinize how buildings consume electricity. Additionally, they will investigate the varying thermal comfort preferences among individuals in indoor environments. The primary responsibilities will include the integration of thermal comfort models into energy simulation frameworks. These augmented models will then be adapted to assess how different building envelope materials influence passive survivability. The ultimate goal is to acquire a nuanced understanding of how diverse building materials and envelope technologies affect both routine energy consumption during normal operations and passive survivability during extreme events. Students will also have the opportunity to contribute to a conference or journal article alongside the research team.

Keywords: Building Envelopes, Energy Efficiency, Passive Survivability, Thermal Comfort, Extreme Events.

Required Skills: Programming experience, and a basic understanding of statistical analysis. Some familiarity with building energy modeling software is a plus.

Undergraduate Degrees: Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Construction.

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Ashrant Aryal