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This study was carried out in a building located in Antalya in order to determine the optimum combinations of different levels of improvement and PV panel use in existing buildings in terms of energy saving and LCC. Within the framework of TS 825 Thermal Insulation Rules in Buildings, which is the national standard in Turkey, three different levels of insulation in walls, roofs, floors and windows and three different numbers of PV panels for energy production were determined. 18 different alternatives obtained using the orthogonal array for five factors with three levels analyzed have been made. In terms of energy savings, the scenario with the highest levels of insulation for walls, roofs, floors and windows and the use of 12 PV panels is the optimum combination that produces all of its energy needs and switches to surplus energy with +KW after consumption. In terms of LCC, the alternative with 12 PV panels, where wall, floor and windows are the highest and the roof is insulated at level 2, is the best combination. PV panel integration was found to be the most effective parameter in terms of energy savings and LCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the causes of soft-storey and weak-storey formations in low- and mid-rise RC (Reinforced Concrete) buildings in Türkiye. In the first phase of the study, 96 model buildings were designated for the examination of soft-storey irregularity when the ground floors are used for commercial purposes and the upper floors for residential use. The ground floor heights that would cause soft-storey irregularity in each of the selected buildings were determined according to the formulas given in the Türkiye Building Earthquake Code (TBEC) and the American Society of Civil Engineers Standard (ASCE). It was found that the ground floor heights obtained according to ASCE are usable in practice, whereas those obtained according to the TBEC, particularly for buildings over three storeys, are excessively high for practical use. This indicates that, even if the buildings in Türkiye are designed with very high ground floor heights, they do not have soft-storey irregularities, according to the TBEC, but soft-storey formation may occur in these buildings due to the high ground floor height as a result of the effects of earthquakes. Instead of the soft-storey irregularity coefficient limit value (nki > 2) found in the TBEC, this study proposes a new limit value to prevent the design of buildings with very high ground floors. In the second phase of the study, for the purpose of examining weak-storey irregularity, 105 model buildings differing in their infill wall layout, number of spans, span length, and number of storeys were selected. The weak-storey irregularity coefficients of each of these models were determined according to the TBEC. The results of the study revealed that buildings with no infill walls in one direction or with infill walls in only one of the exterior axes in one direction have a high risk of having weak storeys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dioxide emissions are one of the most important causes of global climate change. It is accepted in the world today that the world urgently needs to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. In this study, the optimum thickness of each insulation material is determined depending on the available costs and the total annual CO2 emissions of insulation materials for building external walls with different structure in the selected cities from different climate regions of Turkey. The different wall types insulated with four different insulation materials are presented. The results indicate that the optimum insulation thickness varies from 2.5 to 13 cm and is different for each wall type and insulation material. The total annual CO2 emission per unit area of the wall varies between 3.32 and 10.32 kg CO2/m2 depending on the insulation material and wall type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, it is aimed to present a model in which measures can be taken to improve the energy performance of buildings while designing industrial areas. Within the context of the study, it was investigated in the workplace buildings in the Eski Industry and Karatay Industry in Konya. As a result of the research conducted in the workplaces in the area, 128 different building alternatives emerged in terms of design parameters such as building size, orientation, and exterior wall material properties. Annual heating energy needs of these alternatives are calculated by the calculation method in TSE 825. A fuzzy logic (FL) model, an artificial intelligence method, was created by using some of the calculated values. The rest of the calculated heating energy need values and the values obtained from the FL model were compared with the multiple coefficients of determination (R-squared). As a result of the comparison, it was revealed that the FL model created predicted the annual heating energy need of the buildings by 98.1%. This shows that the FL model created can be used to estimate the annual heating energy need at an accuracy rate of 98.1% of the single volume industrial buildings to be designed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the optimum insulation thickness value using MATLAB Optimization Toolbox based on a mathematical model for sandwich walls that are formed with different insulation-building materials by different fuel types for a particular city located in the second climatic region of Turkey. In the second stage of study, using the BIM-based Revit simulation program, a building was designed with the same building-insulation materials under the same climate conditions. The six different wall performances were compared for the designed building. The study proposes a comprehensive approach by combining technical and economic factors in the sustainable design of buildings. The computational results indicate that using different energy alternatives has a significant impact on the air quality in residential areas. The lowest value is reached when natural gas is used. The energy cost savings change from 7.56 to 14.12 TRY/m2 for external walls. While payback periods vary between 2.15 and 3.76 years for external walls, the lowest period for all wall types is obtained for electricity, which has a high cost. The optimum insulation thickness for 10 years of lifetime varies between 0.02 and 0.16 m. This study reflects that the highest optimal insulating thickness is reached when electricity is utilized as the energy source for all wall types. According to the Revit analysis, the lowest energy consumption of 21,677 kWh during one year using natural gas was obtained for a building material of porous light brick and an insulation material of glass wool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy consumption in buildings accounts for a notable part of the primary energy consumption all over the world. The building industry also has a great potential to decrease the environmental impact by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The national strategies of many developing countries are shaped by energy conservation issues. Improving energy efficiency and productivity is stated as one of the main elements of the Turkish national energy strategy. An efficient way to decrease energy consumption in buildings is to implement insulation on the building envelope. Identifying the optimum insulation thickness to be applied on the exterior walls is of prime importance. This study adapts a stochastic approach to determine optimum insulation thickness for 81 cities in Turkey. The stochastic approach, unlike the commonly used deterministic approach, incorporates the probabilistic nature of the process and presents the optimum insulation thickness as a probability distribution graph rather than a single value. For this purpose, a number of insulation thicknesses (1-20 cm) were regarded as the alternatives and the optimum alternative was determined based on life cycle costing analysis involving the cost of insulation application and annual energy savings. The average monthly temperature of each city and financial parameters such as the inflation and discount rates were considered as the stochastic elements. The results of the life cycle costing analysis were used to (i) identify the optimum thicknesses in each city as a probability distribution graph and (ii) generate an optimum insulation thickness map for Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A significant portion of energy sources in many countries is devoted to the residential sector requirements. A considerable part of this energy is used for heating residential buildings. Minimizing the total heating cost of these buildings has a significant impact on reducing the economic burden and energy consumption. The deterministic parameters in the computation of total heating cost are the fuel type, insulation material and insulation thickness. Since these parameters are not linearly independent from each other, in the current study for a more comprehensive approach, a simultaneous multi-variable optimization model including both discrete and continuous design variables is developed. To solve the acquired model, the recently developed non-deterministic swarm-based approach so-called Interactive Search Algorithm is applied as the optimization method. The degree-day values dependent on the climatic conditions of seven different cities of Turkey are considered as case studies. Subsequently, achieved numeric outcomes are reported as the optimal total heating cost, fuel type (i.e., the sequential integer that indicates the type of fuel) and insulation layer's material and thickness for each selected climate condition. Moreover, the resultant payback period and saving cost for the acquired optimal condition is calculated and announced. In all studied cities, a combination of natural gas for fuel type and glass wool for insulation material is obtained as the optimal state. The acquired optimal total heating cost values are consistent with the conventional approach results by an average deviation of 6.67e−3%, which reveals the proposed methodology works well in solving the problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study determines the optimum insulation layer thickness to be applied to external building walls considering the heating degree-day (HDD) method, then energy saving costs, payback periods, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are calculated accordingly. The optimisation analysis is performed for four different thermal insulation materials (glass wool, rock wool, extruded polystyrene, and expanded polystyrene). Natural gas is chosen as fuel for heating purposes, and horizontal perforated brick is preferred in the wall. One of the original features in this study is environmental analysis to determine the CO2 emission for the insulated wall in Turkey provinces. Another feature is that it has the most up-to-date data about HDD values and fuel and insulation material costs. The worst and best insulation materials are obtained as rock wool and glass wool, respectively. The optimum insulation layer thickness for the best case is varied between 0.07 m and 0.23 m, depending on the HDD values of provinces. The annual total energy saving cost is in the range of 4.4-53.5 $/(m²year), and the payback period is 0.11-0.38 years. Besides, the reduction in annual CO2 emission is changed between 53.2% and 94% for the best case, compared to the uninsulated wall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, three different composite materials were produced from mixtures of natural and waste materials in different proportions. The produced composites were used to determine the insulation thickness of exterior walls of buildings located in 12 provinces selected from the four different climate zones of Turkey. The selection of provinces was made according to Turkish standard TS 825. The produced materials are thermal insulation elements that can be used instead of construction elements, such as brick, on the exterior walls of the buildings. In this study, only the heating of the buildings was considered and the number of heating degree days of the provinces was taken into account to determine the insulation thickness. The life cycle cost analysis method was used to determine the optimum insulation thickness. It was determined that the optimum insulation thickness values calculated for four different fuel types for the selected provinces varied between 0.170 m and 1.401 m. The annual energy requirement for the unit surface area of the exterior walls of the insulated buildings was determined to be 11,213–965,715 kJ·m−2 per year. Moreover, it was determined that the insulation costs ranged between $ 22,841 m−2 and $ 114,841 m−2, and the payback period ranged from approximately 2.5 to 6.5 years. It was concluded that using these new types of materials in the determined regions were advantageous in terms of thermal insulation, fire resistance, mechanical properties, production costs, extra labor costs, and optimum insulation thickness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to determine the optimum heat insulation thickness for the glasswool and rockwool insulation material. Since natural gas is mostly used for heating in Turkey, it has been selected as fuel for the calculation. In order to calculate the optimum thickness of the insulation, the number of the degree-day and total environmental factor have been used. For the optimum insulation thickness, the decrease in exergy loss, CO2 emission and the fuel consumption were 75%, 73%, and 71% for the glasswool, respectively. On the other hand, for the rockwool, they were 35%, 18%, and 43%, respectively. Optimum thickness was calculated as 0.40 m for glasswool, and 0.18 for the rockwool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historical Akdamar Cathedral is located on an island on Lake Van. The cathedral was built eleven centuries ago. The building has numerous exterior reliefs that encircle the Cathedral and are composed of four levels. They include historical, religious, and cultural compositions along with animal figures. Alongside the human relief sculptures on the building, the bird and mammal figures are very important in terms of reflecting the biological richness of the region. For this study, detailed photographs of the bird reliefs on the exterior walls of the Cathedral have been taken. The description of bird species on the reliefs are compared with the figures of the present-day bird species. Therefore, the similarity between the bird fauna of the region in the past and its current condition and the biological diversity of the bird species at that time are identified. Thus, it is revealed that nineteen species of bird living in the region at that time were engraved and immortalized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Miscellaneous retaining structures have been used against lateral earth pressure in order to ensure the stability of soils which are interacted with structures constructed at different elevations. In addition, the reinforced soil applications are preferred within highways projects have come into prominence recently. In this study, 82 different steel strip reinforced soil projects built in six regions of Turkey were evaluated. The internal parameters of the natural soil and the backfill materials with the limit values of external factors such as wall height and surcharge load were determined according to the data of the projects. A generalization was made in accordance with the theoretical calculations and the change of design parameters such as reinforcement length and reinforcement thickness were investigated due to these limit values. According to the results, the length of the strip reinforcement varies between 2.02 m and 23.62 m, while the thickness value changes from 0.65 mm to 10.49 mm. The first 5.00 m of wall have importance in terms of reinforcement length. If other variables are kept constant, the effect of the horizontal reinforcement spacing on the strip thickness is more critical than both the surcharge load and design life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In Turkey the insulation of buildings was not a common occurrence until it became obligatory after the publication of the TS 825 Turkish Thermal Insulation Standard. However, most of the buildings still have little or no insulation. The aim of this study is to show the optimum insulation thicknesses for the different wall types; stone, brick and concrete, which are usually used in building construction in Turkey. Four cities from different climate zones, determined by the Turkish Thermal Insulation Standard (TS 825); Antalya (1st zone), İstanbul (2nd zone), Elazığ (3rd zone) and Kayseri (4th zone) were selected for analysis, and the optimum insulation thicknesses, energy savings and payback periods were calculated for each. Fiberglass, extruded polystyrene, expanded polystyrene and foamed polyurethane were the chosen insulation materials. The calculations were carried out with five different energy types; coal, LPG, electricity, fuel oil, and natural gas. As a consequence the results show that the optimum insulation thickness varies between 0.2cm and 18.6cm, energy savings vary between 0.038$/m2 and 250.415$/m2, and payback periods vary between 0.714 and 9.104years depending on the city, the type of wall, the insulation material and the cost of fuel. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The optimum thickness of insulation applying on external walls of building was investigated under dynamic thermal conditions. Therefore, the yearly heating transmission load was calculated by using an implicit finite differences method under steady periodic conditions. Calculations were done by considering external environment conditions of Elazığ city. Extruded polystyrene was used as the insulation material, and coal, fueloil and natural gas were used as fuel. Then, cost analysis was done for a south facing wall insulated on outside. The optimum insulation thicknesses, the energy savings and payback periods were calculated for every fuel type. As result, optimum insulation thickness for Elazığ was obtained to be 0.040 m when natural gas was used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The city of Denizli is in the 3rd climatic region in Turkey and there is a heating requirement for a period of approximately five months. During this period, thermal insulation of buildings is very important in minimizing the energy usage and reducing emission. In this study, environmental impact of optimum insulation thickness in external walls has been investigated for the case of Denizli, Turkey. In the calculations, coal was used as the fuel source and the expanded polystyrene as the insulation material. The results proved that when the optimum insulation thickness was used, energy consumption was decreased by 46.6% and the emissions of CO2 and SO2 were reduced by 41.53%. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]