Influence of indoor air temperature variation on office work performance

Indoor air quality as well as thermal comfort has a significant effect on productivity of the employees in office buildings. It may reduce work performance and cause financial losses in a long term perspective. Sudden temperature swings may have an impact on the work performance as well. The aim of this study was to assess the change of office work performance of the same individuals affected by unsteady air temperature. Office work was simulated in the test chamber with two workplaces and two persons at the time. 78 individuals of age 19 to 31 were divided into three groups and took participation in performing productivity tests. Two cases were analysed: one with the temperature rise from +22 to +26 °C and another with the temperature drop from +22 to +18 °C. The same tests were performed with the placebo group under a constant air temperature of +22 °C. Results of the study showed that subjects in the placebo group performed better while executing tasks for the second time and the overall productivity was higher by 2.1%. In case of the air temperature raise, performance reduced by 0.1% and the overall productivity improved by 5.2% in case of air temperature drop. First published online: 08 Feb 201

Exploring The Impact Of Problem-Based Learning On Student Learning Outcomes: Findings From The PBL South Asia Project

This paper presents the results of surveys conducted among students and teachers / mentors in Nepal, Bhutan, and India, regarding the impact of implementing Problembased learning (PBL) methodology in engineering and multidisciplinary projects. The surveys were carried out under the Erasmus+ funded project, Strengthening Problembased learning in South Asian Universities (PBL South Asia). The project aimed to address the issues of education quality, employability, and sustainable development in the region by enhancing students’ practical experience, communication skills, teamwork abilities, as well as academic knowledge through PBL-adapted courses. As a result, South Asian higher education institutions have implemented PBL courses in their curriculum. The surveys were designed to evaluate how specific competences or learning outcomes were perceived by different stakeholder groups, e.g., which learning outcomes were expected to be achieved by the faculty, and whether they were achieved by students. Several methods were used for the assessment – open questions with tracking the keywords that the respondents use, as well as “EntreComp” framework which looks into how students assess their abilities to be curious and open, think sustainably, behave ethically, and cope with uncertainty and ambiguity. Results of the survey showed that student participants have identified teamwork, communication and presentation skills as those most associated with PBL methodology. Among the self-assessed improvement in abilities, students have indicated their increased abilities to assess the needs of different stakeholders, combining different contexts, setting up strategies

Overview of BIM integration into the Construction Sector in European Member States and European Union Acquis

The amount of information involved in any construction project and the necessity of control of time, cost and waste, has established Building Information Modelling (BIM) as an integral part of construction sector towards achieving adequate communication of information among various parties involved in construction projects. Moreover, it can be considered as a valuable tool for the optimum selection of materials, systems and design decisions, regarding not only the improve of a structure’s performance, but also in terms of reducing its carbon footprint during its life cycle. The study attempts to present the integration of BIM into the national legislation of European Member States, with a special focus on the energy related aspects of BIM analysis. This study performs an overview of the introduction of BIM into different aspects and requirements of the EU Member States building practices, through a comprehensive literature and legislation review of relative legislative documents of the construction sector. According to the findings of this overview study, the concept of BIM has already been incorporated in many aspects of the Acquis of EU Member States, which is recognized as a valuable tool to be exploited by the construction sector, however there is still room for development in this area. The study has revealed that especially in the energy assessment of the built environment, BIM applications are still lacking from the European Legislation. Examples and good practices of employing BIM for the implementation of the European Energy targets in the building sector are also presented and discussed. The findings of this study aim to shed light on the needs and requirements in the field of BIM development for the construction sector, as well as to indicate gaps and weaknesses of the European Member States Acquis towards harmonizing with BIM practices

Automation of Construction Progress Monitoring by Integrating 3D Point Cloud Data with an IFC-Based BIM Model

Automated construction progress monitoring using as-planned building information modeling (BIM) and as-built point cloud data integration has substantial potential and could lead to the fast-tracking of construction work and identifying discrepancies. Laser scanning is becoming mainstream for conducting construction surveys due to the accuracy of the data obtained and the speed of the process; however, construction progress monitoring techniques are still limited because of the complexity of the methods, incompleteness of the scanned areas, or the obstructions by temporary objects in construction sites. The novel method proposed within this study enables the extracting of BIM data, calculating the plane equation of the faces, and performing a point-to-plane distance estimation, which successfully overcomes some limitations reported in previous studies, including automated object detection in an occluded environment. Six datasets consisting of point clouds collected by static and mobile laser scanning techniques including the corresponding BIM models were analyzed. In all the analyzed cases, the proposed method automatically detected whether the construction of an object was completed or not in the as-built point cloud compared to the provided as-planned BIM model

Investigation into air distribution systems and thermal environment control in chilled food processing facilities

Air flow distribution in chilled food facilities plays a critical role not only in maintaining the required food products temperature but also because of its impact on the facility energy consumption and CO2 emissions. This paper presents an investigation of the thermal environment in existing food manufacturing facilities, with different air distribution systems including supply/return diffusers and fabric ducts, by means of both in-situ measurements and 3D CFD simulations. Measurements and CFD simulations showed that the fabric duct provides a better environment in the processing area in terms of even and low air flow if compared to that with the diffusers. Moreover, temperature stratification was identified as a key factor to be improved to reduce the energy use for the space cooling. Further modelling proved that air temperature stratification improves by relocating the fabric ducts at a medium level. This resulted in a temperature gradient increase up to 4.1 °C in the unoccupied zone