Low energy consumption layout of exhibition buildings in Yangtze River Delta region.

The issue of high energy consumption in exhibition buildings has long been a focal point in the field of architectural design. However, current energy consumption assessments for exhibition buildings mainly focus on post-construction evaluations, lacking corresponding guidance during the initial design phase. To address this issue, this study selected 48 well-known exhibition buildings both domestically and internationally as research subjects. Utilizing scatter plot curve fitting, it was discovered that there exists a nonlinear quadratic relationship between the building area of the first floor and the courtyard area. Based on this relationship, four typical layouts were established to match the climatic characteristics of Hangzhou, a representative region in the Yangtze River Delta of China. Taking into account regional architectural features, the study specifically examined the impact of different orientations and window-to-wall ratios on energy consumption levels. The influence of these factors on energy consumption was analyzed using the DesignBuilder software. The results revealed that there exists an optimal window-to-wall ratio for exhibition buildings, with parallel, L-shaped enclosed south-facing courtyards, and U-shaped enclosed east-facing courtyards showing greater energy efficiency. This research provides guidance for designing exhibition buildings that are energy-efficient and foster a harmonious indoor-outdoor relationship.

Low energy consumption form of the U-shaped plan office building in the Yangtze River Delta.

The significance of form in green building design is well recognized, as it has a substantial impact on both energy performance and construction cost. This study investigates the impact of the U-shaped plan on the energy demand, which can be flexibly applied to irregular site forms and clustered building blocks, and is widely used in existing office buildings. Specifically, we select the U-shaped plan as the object of study and collect related case data primarily from Hangzhou and Shanghai. Using Python, we generate plans based on two lengths, two angles, and depth, which serve as basic parameters and boundary conditions. The EnergyPlus platform is utilized for dynamic simulation of the energy consumption of each model, and correlation analysis using the Spearman coefficient method identifies two planar factors (depth-length ratio and modified length) that have the most significant influence on energy consumption, including five basic parameters. Regression fitting and regression evaluation of the model further identify morphological critical information in the plan. Our research reveals that the critical interval of depth-length ratio (M1) is in (0.48, 1.02), and the critical point of the modified length (M2) is 109.38 m. Furthermore, the contour plot of M1-M2-E1 is obtained, illustrating the mutual trend between morphological parameters (M1 and M2) and annual energy use intensity, which serves as a useful aid for designing low energy consumption solutions.