Optimering av termisk komfort för glasbyggnad

Sammanfattning: Increasingly, buildings are built with glass facades, which creates difficulties regarding indoor environmental quality. During the summer, solar radiation contributes to a surplus of heat which increases the temperature indoors, while in winter the building can be too cold as result of the cooled window surfaces. This study addresses how thermal comfort can be optimized for the LNC-building belonging of the University of Gothenburg, where some have complained about the indoor climate during the winter. Additionally, the impact of the glass selection for glass buildings is examined regarding the indoor climate, as well as how the upcoming problems regarding the thermal comfort in the planning phase should be avoided. Temperature measurements and a survey have been the basis for determining the thermal comfort in the current situation. The building was also built into the simulation program IDA ICE, where various proposals for improvment were compared. The results of performed practices show that the indoor climate is deficient during the winter. Based on simulated suggestions for improvement, the study concludes that glass with a lower heat transfer coefficient improves indoor comfort. The building’s design, with its high glass façade, is not optimal from the energy and indoor climate point of view. Such design often means complications regarding thermal comfort. The problems with lack of comfort can be reduced by taking into account the indoor climate at the design stage. This is performed via simulation program, and contact with people who possess the right area of competence. This means that money must be set aside in the budget to carry out simulations. Once the problem is addressed in the early stage future solutions can also be avoided, such as the installation of more radiators that increases the heat output. This type of solution, however, is not desirable because of the increasing requirements to reduce energy consumption, which is not achievable if this is used as a measure.