Building Designs and Systems to be Employed in Order to Reduce Carbon Emission - Case Study Example

Fire and Built Environment Name Course Lecturer Date Introduction. United kingdom obligation to reduce the emission of carbon gas to the atmosphere in no longer a future agenda but a current legal obligation in all areas. Through a research by both the government and alo the innovative and growth team it was established that approximately 80% of carbon emission come from the building environment which cuts across new constructions as a result of material used which is as a result of manufacturing plan, the building and construction systems used which mostly work on heat and energy regulation, building materials in their natural state as a result of adjusting to various energy and heat regulation requirements and also building themselves especially the old and existing ones. This brings together a team of leaders in the construction industry mainly the British architects, construction engineers, building consultants and the government building and construction team. In the processs the professional view strongly on ways of coming up with more innovative and greener ways in construction industry. In this mission there is a holistic approach in design and production of different materials and this is highly covered in material production and manufacturing industry. The government initiated a carbon emission rating known as BREEAM rating which is Basically a method of rating building according to the level at which they emit carbon dioxide to the environment. This emission results to climatic change because they affects the ozone layer hence the level of earth protection from the direct sunrays becomes lower. The different kind of metrics are employed to provide the relevant evaluation procedure. According to BREEAM organization (2011) a general metrics system was developed in order to enhance efficient rating of carbon emission. In summary the metrics are divided into different fields namely: a) Energy demand which checks the building heat and energy requirements b)primary energy consumption which evaluates and quantifies the various energy consumption parameters c)Finally we have the carbon dioxide rating that shows the amount of carbon dioxide a building emits to the atmosphere, this cuts across the various energy transfer and change mechanisms. The government and other key stakeholders in the construction therefore saw the need to have a holistic approach in curbing this menace which which looks at the building construction materials used and also the building design and associated systems. In this case we look at the building of Hotel 33 in Preston city Uk in view of checking the various building materials to use and the building designs and system to be employed in order to reduce carbon emission. One aspect to reduce carbon emission will involve use carbon free and reduced carbon energy sources. According to Office of Indian Energy and Economic carbon emitting systems should be avoided by seeking alternative to sources of energy. Hotel 33 Preston being a 3 star hotel means there is high energy demands especially in heating processes. Therefore solar power will be an alternative to sources of energy especially in the installation of solar water heaters to heat water, solar lightings especially the garden lamps and also internal lighting. Solar energy uses energy from the sun hence no much energy conversions that results to carbon emission. There is also need to install and construct wind power mills that uses wind to generate energy .This will be installed on the high end rooftops and the mechanism tapped to provide energy in the building. Biomass boilers will also be used to enhance heating processes in the building. Entirely there is categorical use of renewable energy sources to provide the energy requirements. Passive techniques in the building design will also be used to reduce heat loss. This will involve high level of insulation and air-tightness to reduce the heat loss from the building. This will make it possible to regulate the energy requirement during the winter seasons especially by the fact that the premises have got large occupancy, Ashden Group (2011). The building plan will also employ the use of heavy building materials this is a brilliant way to create thermal mass that regulates the heat fluctuations due to weather changes which results to heat loss and gain. The building stores energy and uses it when needed especially by the fact that the building is highly occupied. Other apertures and window placement should also allow sunlight penetration during cooler season to reduce need for artificial lighting and to limit light penetration during summer to avoid overheating. Effective emissivity glazing on the windows can be used to control the heat loss in the building. The building will also be designed in a way that there is maximum ventilation and free space air to enhance free flow of air this will minimise the use of air conditioners to regulate heat. In a hotel there is use of artificial lighting at high level this include both day and night. This in return creates energy demands thus the lights will be designed to have LED light mechanisms that dim during the day when there is natural lighting. The lighting system should have a mechanism to regulate itself through regulation in reference to light levels. Design for fire safety. Fire safety design requires an understanding of various fire issues and also conditions which can be narrowed down to fire sources, smoke movement, heat transfer in various building structures. Human Being behaviour and toxicity (Breglobals 2011). Fire safety is an important requirement for every building and is a compulsory requirement for every building. This is guided by fire safety standard guidelines designed by fire engineers. The building should have a fire alarm detection system and also smoke detection system. This will be linked to the fire station for response. Fire detection system should be installed in all areas so that alarm can be triggered in event of fire. The building will also design to have fire alert system and fire bell system. International Code for Fire Safety Systems (2011).The building will also have a fire suppression system with sprinkler system fitted in all spaces and corridors. The fire suppression system covers water systems and carbon dioxide gaseous systems. The system should be automatic and should be tasted regularly to make sure it’s working okay. According to David 1998 fire modelling is another important aspect of fire safety engineering. With fire modelling you determine the level of fire rate development and scenarios. Through research various fire models have been established. The building should also have fire emergency exits that are wide enough to accommodate large group of people and the right signage used. The door access to fire exit areas should have emergence fire break glass controlled by automatic door access control System. Fire extinguishers should also be installed in the kitchen, heat generating compartments and also in accessible areas. The fire extinguishers need through checking and maintenance In conclusion sustainable development in UK is a legal obligation to reduce the carbon emission which is vital.To achieve there is a combination or holistic approach to building designs, building materials and building systems and mechanism. Part 2 Case Study 1-Windsor Castle 1992 (UK). According to Carl (2014) from the UK fire resource group this occurred on 20th 1992 at Windsor Castle in the queens’ private chapel. After the fire broke up there was a fire alarm that was triggered and this was relayed to the fire control room. Immediately a fire alarm monitoring system went live the rescue mission begun. The fire spread quickly to greater heights within a very short time and this made the rescue mission difficult. The building had various fire fighter who initiated the process of recue. The fact that the fire alert was only realised after sometime lead a question on whether the building had employed use of proper smoke detection mechanism. This could have alerted the fire control room long before the fire starts spreading. The fact that the fire spread to greater heights very fast shows that the fire model was not used correctly hence leading to faster fire development. The building also lacked both fire and smoke compartments. This are control measure that act as fire breaks in a building thus reducing the rate of fire spread. The materials used also seemed to be highly flammable thus making spread of fire to be more rapid. In this case study its highly recommended to use building materials that are not flammable to reduce fire spread and to enable easy control of fire. The building also required the most effective fire models to mark the rate of fire development and growth and with this there was need to mix fire protection and control measures.Thje building also needed fire compartments this are generally region that controls the continuity of fire. Case Study 2: Santa Maria Night Club Fire As reported by BBC by Gary 2, the fire broke up from Santa Maria night club on 28th January 2013.The genesis of the fire was believed to be as a result of laminating fireworks at the stage. As reported by one of the victims the smoke was initially viewed emanating from the roof though at that point fire was not seen. Since this went on for sometime it clearly shows that the club lacked fire alarm system and smoke detection system. This could have enabled the transmission of fire alarm to the fire control center for response. The number of high and it discovered that most of the people died from smoke choking. This portrays an evidence of lack of proper and adequate ventilation in the night club. The place being a night club hosting large crowd of people require adequate ventilation to enable free flow of air. The people also seemed to be trapped behind closed doors thus an indication that the club didn’t have fire exit routes and fire exit signs hence crowd following to all directions. The doors also lacked emergency control mechanism with emergency break glass that releases the door in the event of fire. It is highly recommended that fire exits should be well defined. The fire was continuous which could have maintained by a fire suppression. The building also lacked emergency fire extinguishers which could have been used to contain the fire thus reducing the spread. Fire safety starts with educating and training staff on fire protection measures. I therefore highly recommend through training of the staff on fire protection so that in the event of such incident in future there will be proper implementation mechanism by the staff. The case study highly shows there was negligence in terms of fire safety in the building and the building was far much below any fire standards in this world. Part 3 1. Halon is a a liquefied gas that is highly compressed and is used to extinguish fire through chemical reaction with the fire.Halon is used to make halon fire extinguishing mechanism which includes fire extinguishers. This offered replacement to the natural sprinkling method that in its process to protect against fire it was damaging the working environment.Halon is viewed as a clean fire extinguishing detergent since it leaves no residuals on the service. It’s therefore convenient to use halogen gas for fire control (Canada Environment Ministry of Environment 2009). According to Montreal Protocal the halon was banned by the fact that it was emitting some gases that had effect on the ozone layer this resulted tom need for alternative since destruction of ozone layer results to climatic change. I my view i support the ban because though it was referred to as clean agent, the components were released to the atmosphere especially after the chemical reaction. Freon is component used in making refrigeration systems that in order to enhance cooling effect hence used for refrigeration and air conditioning. Conditioned air inc group asserts that Freon is a chemical reagent that is used in air conditioning and refrigeration industry. The compressed gas in a tube mechanism is used to transfer heat from one environment to another thereby offering heat control. The gas is usually has a higher evaporation rate due to lower boiling point anf it uses this mechanism to initiate cooling effect on the surface. The researchers though discovered that freon gas causes environmental degradation since they affect ozone layer which results to climatic change.This has lead to development of Puron as an alternative 2. To explain the deference and common issues between the Fahrenheit and Rankine scales, Celsius and Kelvin temperature scales. The Fahrenheit is measured in degrees Fahrenheit (0 F) and Rankine scale is in degrees rankine (0R). The absolute zero is at 00R for Rankine scale while for Fahrenheit scale the absolute zero is at -4600 F.Freezing point on the Fahrenheit scale is 320 F and on the Rankine scale freezing point is 4920 R The difference between the Celsius and Kelvin scale is that Celsius scale is measure in (0c) and Kelvin is measured in (0k).The absolute zero for Celsius scale is 0 0c and for Kelvin is 2730K. Both absolute zero for Kelvin scale and Rankline scale are at zero degrees (0 0) Reference List: Ashden group (2011): Low energy building. Retrieved from: http://www.ashden.org/low-energy-buildings BREEAM organization: reduction of emissions. Retrieved from http://www.breeam.org/BREEAM2011SchemeDocument/Content/06_energy/ene01_general.htm Breglobal (2011).fire risk assessment .retrieved from.www.bre.co.uk/page.jsp?id=1854 Carl, H. (2014) UK fire services resource group. retrieved from: www.fireservices.co.uk Conditionedair Inc. 2014.can i get Freon for my air conditioner: Retrieved from: http://www.conditionedairinc.com/can-i-still-get-freon-for-my-air-conditioner.html David ,W. (1998).Using performance based design technique to evaluate fire safety in government building. National Institute of standards and technology.Gaithersburg:MD20899 USA Garry Duffy 2013: brazil night club fire: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-21220308 Office of Indiana energy and economic development (2011): ways to reduce carbon emission. Retrieved from: http://teeic.indianaffairs.gov/er/carbon/carboninfo/reduce/index.htm Read More