Thermal simulation of an Australian university building

A key criterion for the environmental assessment of any building is its thermal performance. The simulation of an office module in a three-storey university building in South Eastern Australia is described. The module, located at the north-west corner of the top floor of the building, was chosen because it was likely to have the highest cooling load - a primary concern of energy-conscious designers of commercial buildings for most parts of the country. The simulation process identified the major influences on thermal performance against a base case. This enabled changes in materials and construction, as well as basic design concepts, to be evaluated. Features incorporated into the base case such as a metal roof and glazed walkway had an adverse influence on energy consumption, and were consequently rejected in preference for an improved design that included a hypocaust slab system on the roof of the office module. The final design was predicted to reduce the annual energy consumption for heating and cooling by 72 and 76%, respectively, which suggests the added value to the design process from advanced modelling and simulation.