Michael Donn
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Simulation and the building performance gap Open
Highlights This special collection examines simulation and the building performance gap. It focuses on quality assurance measures, case studies, user studies that address the development of trust in the performance calculations of designer…
Challenges in life cycle assessment implementation for construction environmental product declaration development: A mixed approach and global perspective Open
Environmental product declaration (EPD) is a valuable data source for building sustainability assessment. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a critical element of EPD development, and it strongly impacts the reliability of the overall EPD envi…
Operational, embodied and whole life cycle assessment credits in green building certification systems: Desktop analysis and natural language processing approach Open
Globally, the issue of climate change is becoming increasingly significant due to the rapid change in weather conditions, and the construction industry contributes significantly to this. Green building certification systems (GBCS) are vita…
A Review of Window Designs for Passive Cooling_data.xlsx Open
Indoor overheating risks are a common issue in urban dwellings. Climate change is making utilising operable windows for passive cooling in achieving indoor comfort becomes more challenging. This scenario is affecting the well-being of occu…
Identifying tolerance bands for internal surface mould growth simulation Open
Existing calibration requirements of published standards use arbitrary fits of energy demand to say results from a simulation tool are close enough. Other literature calibrates internal conditions within a certain tolerance band, but it is…
Use of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Monitors to Assess Ventilation Effectiveness in Schools Open
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of good ventilation in mitigating the transmission of airborne virus particles. In many countries, CO2 monitors have been mandated for use in indoor spaces to inform good ventilation pra…
The feeling of comfort in residential settings I: a qualitative model Open
Building science commonly studies comfort—a subjective concept—through quantitative methods. These methods are often not the most appropriate to study subjective concepts because they struggle to consider non-quantifiable factors that are …
The feeling of comfort in residential settings II: a quantitative model Open
Building science has historically used quantitative methods to study comfort. Yet, these methods struggle to consider non-quantifiable factors that are sometimes relevant in the determination of people’s comfort. The first article in this …
Beyond recovery: Measuring ventilation strategies and their impact on energy Open
Working with a medium scale, research-focused architectural practice this paper measures the efficacy of balanced pressure heat recovery ventilation systems (BPHR systems) in the existing housing stock as a strategy to mitigate thermal hea…
A natural ventilation "calculator": The challenge of defining a representative 'performance sketch' in practice and research Open
Too often in architecture and engineering, the simplicity in early design of the apparent guarantees of HVAC equipment manufacturers wins out over the complexity of estimating the effectiveness of natural ventilation even in Net Zero Build…
Evaluating computer aided design tools for building performance: Trusting and defining the predetermined automated inputs Open
BIM use is on the rise in New Zealand with popular software packages, including Revit and ARCHICAD, adopting a semi-automated simulation platform. This allows architects and designers to calculate the thermal and energy performance of thei…
Interpreting Traditional Cost Contingency Methods in the Construction Industry Open
This research investigates how contingency is currently calculated in project budgets within the building industry. This is an important aspect to consider as a large proportion of construction projects are significantly over-budget. The s…
Beyond recovery: Measuring ventilation strategies and their impact on energy Open
Working with a medium scale, research-focused architectural practice this paper measures the efficacy of balanced pressure heat recovery ventilation systems (BPHR systems) in the existing housing stock as a strategy to mitigate thermal hea…
Evaluating computer aided design tools for building performance: Trusting and defining the predetermined automated inputs Open
BIM use is on the rise in New Zealand with popular software packages, including Revit and ARCHICAD, adopting a semi-automated simulation platform. This allows architects and designers to calculate the thermal and energy performance of thei…
A natural ventilation "calculator": The challenge of defining a representative 'performance sketch' in practice and research Open
Too often in architecture and engineering, the simplicity in early design of the apparent guarantees of HVAC equipment manufacturers wins out over the complexity of estimating the effectiveness of natural ventilation even in Net Zero Build…
Interpreting Traditional Cost Contingency Methods in the Construction Industry Open
This research investigates how contingency is currently calculated in project budgets within the building industry. This is an important aspect to consider as a large proportion of construction projects are significantly over-budget. The s…
Semi-automated simulations: Know your schedules Open
This study tests semi-automated simulation measures such as schedules and occupancy profiles in B I M software packages to establish energy performance predictions for the purposes of providing evidence of compliance. These predictions are…
Semi-automated simulations: Know your schedules Open
This study tests semi-automated simulation measures such as schedules and occupancy profiles in B I M software packages to establish energy performance predictions for the purposes of providing evidence of compliance. These predictions are…
Designing with External Wall Insulation at Residential Scale Open
A comparative energy-based study of design with external insulation
View article: A Natural Ventilation Calculator.
A Natural Ventilation Calculator. Open
An investigation of active and passive ventilation measures for mitigating poor building performance in early design.
A Household Occupants’ User Guide. Open
An instruction tool for the household for buildings designed to minimum code compliance
The Inclusion of Microclimate Modelling for House Heating Energy Simulation in Wellington, New Zealand Open
Site is an important factor in determining building design strategies for responding to the local climate and minimizing energy use. Nevertheless, too often Building Energy Simulation (BES) supporting the design process uses a generic weat…
A Household Occupants’ User Guide. Open
An instruction tool for the household for buildings designed to minimum code compliance
Designing with External Wall Insulation at Residential Scale Open
A comparative energy-based study of design with external insulation
View article: A Natural Ventilation Calculator.
A Natural Ventilation Calculator. Open
An investigation of active and passive ventilation measures for mitigating poor building performance in early design.
The Influence of Indoor Environmental Quality in Schools A Systematic Literature Review , Michael Donn and Geoff Thomas Open
The impact of IEQ (daylight, thermal comfort, acoustics and ventilation) in school settings is a subject of concern for many scholars and parents and teachers. This review has appraised the breadth of studies that have examined the influen…
Measuring the Daylight Performance of Classrooms: Can a One Point Sensor Measurement Predict the Daylight Distribution within a Space? Open
The New Zealand Ministry of Education (MoE) has begun measuring the light, temperature, noise and CO2 level of 21 selected schools using a single sensor. This sensor is being developed as a method for routine measurement in order to unders…