Design of energy-efficient buildings

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The long-term objective of the research program is the design of energy-efficient buildings of the 21st century, called sustainable buildings. Those buildings should be designed and operated to minimize the use, over the building life-cycle, of non-renewable resources and to minimize the environmental impact. The short-term objectives of the research program are:   a. The development of a new index of building sustainability (IBS) and a rating scale based on the 2nd law of thermodynamics, to take into account the life-cycle depletion of non-renewable natural resources for the construction and operation of buildings and HVAC systems, and the life-cycle environmental impact. b. The development of mathematical models of the energy and exergy performance and environmental impact of new design alternatives, based on innovative concepts taken from nature's models or using emerging technologies; new models will be coupled with TRNSYS or EnergyPlus programs; c. The development of a large-scale optimization model to minimize two objective functions: the IBS and the life-cycle cost. The IBS takes into account: (i) the life-cycle energy use (annual energy use and energy embodied in building materials and equipment), and (ii) the greenhouse gases emissions. The life-cycle cost includes the initial cost, the annual energy cost for operation and maintenance, the cost for major renovations, the disposal/recycling cost, and the environmental taxes. Two approaches will be explored for solving the optimization problem: (i) mathematical programming methods, and (ii) genetic algorithms  that apply the concepts of natural selection and evolution. Results of this research program will allow architects, engineers, building managers, manufacturers and government agencies to plan for reducing or even avoiding the negative impact of buildings on natural environment such as depletion of natural resources and emission of greenhouse gases.