###Performance-based parametric design to tackle overheating in UK housing stock
Project ID: 2228bd1120 (You will need this ID for your application)
Research Theme: Energy and Decarbonisation
UCL Lead department: Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources
Lead Supervisor: Farhang Tahmasebi
Project Summary:
In line with UKGBC’s call for a national rethink on adapting UK housing stock to the changing climate, this study aims to develop design strategies that can tackle overheating in UK homes without a transition toward energy-intensive air conditioning units. To this end, the project brings together state-of-the-art tools for parametric design and building performance simulation to explore and optimize a variety of passive environmental design strategies in terms of their effectiveness in reducing overheating risks. This will result in development of tailored design strategies to mitigate the impacts of extreme heatwaves in UK housing stock.
The proposed research is especially timely, as the impact of global warming gets increasingly tangible (with a new UK record for maximum daily temperature of 40.3°C in 2022), and UKGBC has called the new UK government to treat adapting UK housing stock as an urgent priority. Besides, the business-as-usual design preferences such as high glazing ratios, high thermal insulation, and low air infiltration rates have amplified the overheating problem.
The PhD study hypotheses that performance-based parametric design is cable of capturing the complexity of building design/retrofit process, the multitude of influential design parameters, and the range of climate-change dependant metrics for building performance and occupant comfort. Therefore, focusing on performance-based parametric design as the method, the successful candidate will couple building performance simulation tools with parametric models of case study buildings to systematically assess the range of design performance resulting from the variations of design parameters. Thus, the study investigates to which extent this computational design support method can inform the design and operation of resilient buildings in the face of changing climate.