Papers by Abdullahi Ahmed
Tropical climate is characterised by high ambient temperatures and solar radiation, a combination... more Tropical climate is characterised by high ambient temperatures and solar radiation, a combination of these factors causes thermal discomfort in buildings. The common approach to maintaining comfortable thermal environment in buildings in such climates is using mechanical airconditioning systems. High energy demand is needed to operate and maintain these systems continuously over long periods of time. With the rapid increase in population and economic growth of countries in the tropical regions, it is becoming inevitable that passive and low energy strategies must be used as suitable alternatives. Earth-air heat exchanger (EAHX) is a subterranean ventilation system that explores soil temperature below the surface to pre-cool or pre-heat ventilation air. Performance of EAHX varies with climatic and soil condition of the area. Climatic and soil parameters affecting the thermal performance of EAHX has been determined for Tropical climate of Nigeria. Thermal simulations have been carried out using Transient System Simulation Environment (TRNSYS) to evaluate the cooling energy gain and the reduction of ambient temperature extremes. The results show that the system can be used to improve comfort conditions and reduce building cooling loads.
ABSTRACT: An Earth-Air Heat Exchanger (EAHX) is a simple subterranean cooling/heating system that... more ABSTRACT: An Earth-Air Heat Exchanger (EAHX) is a simple subterranean cooling/heating system that utilises the stable soil temperature that is cooler and warmer than ambient temperature in summer and winter respectively. The rise in ambient summer temperature ...
Tropical climate is characterised by high ambient temperatures and solar radiation, a combination... more Tropical climate is characterised by high ambient temperatures and solar radiation, a combination of these factors causes thermal discomfort in buildings. The common approach to maintaining comfortable thermal environment in buildings in such climates is using mechanical airconditioning systems. High energy demand is needed to operate and maintain these systems continuously over long periods of time. With the rapid increase in population and economic growth of countries in the tropical regions, it is becoming inevitable that passive and low energy strategies must be used as suitable alternatives. Earth-air heat exchanger (EAHX) is a subterranean ventilation system that explores soil temperature below the surface to pre-cool or pre-heat ventilation air. Performance of EAHX varies with climatic and soil condition of the area. Climatic and soil parameters affecting the thermal performance of EAHX has been determined for Tropical climate of Nigeria. Thermal simulations have been carried...
The impact of greenhouse gas emission resulting from burning of fossil fuel for electricity gener... more The impact of greenhouse gas emission resulting from burning of fossil fuel for electricity generation is a global challenge that can be tackled by using renewable energy sources. Nigeria is a fast growing country with population estimated at about 140 million people. Steady economic and population growth is putting significant strain on the country's electricity supply and distribution infrastructure. More than 64% of Nigeria's electricity is generated from fossil fuel sources. However, the direct cost of infrastructure required for generation, transmission and the environmental implication of burning additional fossil fuel will have significant impact on the country's rate of growth and the global carbon dioxide emission. Abundant renewable energy sources all over the country can be utilised to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as a strategy for rural electrification. One of the key constraints affecting the use of alternative or renewable energy technologies is ...
Sustainability in Energy and Buildings, 2009
Using the ground-air heat exchanger to reduce the temperature fluctuations of the outdoor air sup... more Using the ground-air heat exchanger to reduce the temperature fluctuations of the outdoor air supply to a building is a potential sustainable low carbon emissions building design option where suitable site conditions exist. Although the basic concept of this technology ...
This paper presents an overview of interpretative analysis of a survey to evaluate the potential ... more This paper presents an overview of interpretative analysis of a survey to evaluate the potential for public engagement/ positive public participation in integrated urban water management (IUWM) in Saudi Arabia. The research targeted different stakeholders to investigate the current practices and visions, in order to determine the extent to which IUWM could be enhanced by positive stakeholder participation and public awareness. The paper concentrates on teachers/schools perspectives, even though the wider study investigates the views of a number of key public stakeholder groups within Saudi society, all of the selected stakeholders groups have a public interface within selected section of society. Data collection was through in-person administering of hardcopy questionnaires in Riyadh, Jeddah and Albaha, collecting responses from a wide range of stakeholders groups, including teachers, policy makers, water professionals and managers, environmental managers, technical practitioners and engineers, industrial managers, lecturers and researchers and from the general public. This paper presents initial findings of questionnaires responses of teachers in 60 schools (one teacher for each school), relating to teachers' perception of students' awareness level for the water issues and the potential role of schools in raising levels of awareness and engagement.
Water Science & Technology: Water Supply, 2015
This paper presents an overview of interpretative analysis of a survey to evaluate the potential ... more This paper presents an overview of interpretative analysis of a survey to evaluate the potential for public engagement/ positive public participation in integrated urban water management (IUWM) in Saudi Arabia. The research targeted different stakeholders to investigate the current practices and visions, in order to determine the extent to which IUWM could be enhanced by positive stakeholder participation and public awareness. The paper concentrates on teachers/schools perspectives, even though the wider study investigates the views of a number of key public stakeholder groups within Saudi society, all of the selected stakeholders groups have a public interface within selected section of society. Data collection was through in-person administering of hardcopy questionnaires in Riyadh, Jeddah and Albaha, collecting responses from a wide range of stakeholders groups, including teachers, policy makers, water professionals and managers, environmental managers, technical practitioners and engineers, industrial managers, lecturers and researchers and from the general public. This paper presents initial findings of questionnaires responses of teachers in 60 schools (one teacher for each school), relating to teachers' perception of students' awareness level for the water issues and the potential role of schools in raising levels of awareness and engagement.
The challenges facing urban growth and society will require comprehensive understanding of the vu... more The challenges facing urban growth and society will require comprehensive understanding of the vulnerabilities facing urban environment with a view to implementing adaptation measures to enhance resilience. There is a lot of ambiguity surrounding the meaning of resilience which could be a real challenge for the planners who are trying to apply this concept in future policies. The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationships between resilience and sustainability as applied to the assessment building and urban environment. A qualitative analysis was carried out to map the inter-relationships and differences between the range of definitions of sustainability and resilience from various socio-economic and environmental contexts in the literature. The paper finds a very strong relationship between resilience and sustainability in the way various group of researchers define them within different disciplines. The paper also identified the possible approach to make the transition into the resilience strategies.
The study investigates differences in occupants' satisfaction in three office buildings meeti... more The study investigates differences in occupants' satisfaction in three office buildings meeting different levels of LEED certification in Jordan during the summer of 2012. This study is carried out based on post occupancy evaluation to measure occupants' perceptions of the internal environment, control over internal environment and also its impact on their performance. The result is evaluated using further analysis of the building micro-climate, active and passive design features. The study shows significant difference in occupants' satisfaction relating to air, quality, visual and acoustic comfort, however this difference does not always match the overall rating of the building especially in the area of acoustic comfort and lighting quality. This may be partly due to the fact that LEED focuses on reducing energy consumption rather than provide a high-level of occupants' satisfaction.
The challenges facing urban growth and society will require comprehensive understanding of the vu... more The challenges facing urban growth and society will require comprehensive understanding of the vulnerabilities facing urban environment with a view to implementing adaptation measures to enhance resilience. There is a lot of ambiguity surrounding the meaning of resilience which could be a real challenge for the planners who are trying to apply this concept in future policies. The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationships between resilience and sustainability as applied to the assessment building and urban environment. A qualitative analysis was carried out to map the inter-relationships and differences between the range of definitions of sustainability and resilience from various socio-economic and environmental contexts in the literature. The paper finds a very strong relationship between resilience and sustainability in the way various group of researchers define them within different disciplines. The paper also identified the possible approach to make the transition i...
Building and Environment, 2015
ABSTRACT Global environmental and energy concerns have led to a rapid growth in mandating the con... more ABSTRACT Global environmental and energy concerns have led to a rapid growth in mandating the construction of more energy efficient dwellings in the UK. This is particularly true for the social housing sector which is partly founded by the government and it is expected to lead the way in this respect.
In the context of Architecture, Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a design methodology whic... more In the context of Architecture, Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a design methodology which enables all of the design details, decisions and characteristics to be held within a collaborative digital representation and information package. The design and project information can then be shared, accessed and altered live, facilitating an efficient and fluid collaborative design and asset management process across the whole life cycle of a building. It is argued that BIM has many benefits for projects such as reducing waste, improving the efficiency and enhancing collaboration between different parties to a project which can lead to improved quality and also cost and time reductions. Government drive indicates that BIM skills and information sharing, protocols and processes are essential for improving efficiency of design and operational performance of buildings. It is therefore important that the principle of BIM is integrated into the training of future construction professionals. The aim of this paper is to outline the process that has been undertaken to integrate BIM within the undergraduate curriculum at Coventry University's Civil Engineering, Architecture and Building (CAB) department. A critical analysis of a case study construction engineering department has been carried out to inform the development of the strategy for integration of BIM within existing course structure. The case study offers a lesson on the adoption of BIM to enhance the student skills and understanding relevant to their professional disciplines.
(RESSEEPE) is an EU funded project that focuses on the refurbishment of existing public buildings... more (RESSEEPE) is an EU funded project that focuses on the refurbishment of existing public buildings in Three European cities. The aim of the project is to bring together design and decision making tools and innovative building fabric manufacturers to collaborate to improve building performance through low impact retrofitting interventions to achieve a 50% reduction in energy consumption.
Transactions, 2011
... This paper discusses a study that investigated the use of intensive block weeks in the archit... more ... This paper discusses a study that investigated the use of intensive block weeks in the architecturaldesign and technology context. The design week was mainly introduced to improve student participation and engagement, while teaching technical principles and promoting the ...
There is a rising demand for conventional mechanical cooling systems in UK buildings over the las... more There is a rising demand for conventional mechanical cooling systems in UK buildings over the last 10 years, which is due to increase in building internal and solar heat gains. Use of passive and low energy strategies for cooling and heating of buildings is an attractive alternative for providing comfortable indoor environments with low energy use. Earth-air heat exchanger (EAHX) is a low-energy system that utilises the stable subsurface soil temperature to reduce ventilation air temperature. There appears to be very limited research and published data on their thermal performance in the UK. This paper evaluates the thermal performance of the earth-air heat exchanger under different configurations and operating conditions in the UK. Transient Systems Simulation Software (TRNSYS) has been used to model EAHX using UK climatic and soil parameters. The result reveals significant improvement in indoor thermal conditions and the potential to reduce use of energy intensive conventional cooling systems.
Conference Presentations by Abdullahi Ahmed
[The purpose of this study is to establish what is known regarding BIM implementation in organisa... more [The purpose of this study is to establish what is known regarding BIM implementation in organisational settings. It aims to highlight and explain factors that might affect BIM implementation processes in ACE organisations. Therefore, it also investigates BIM training as a part of that process. The study identifies opportunities for further studies. It reviews existing data on the topic using the systematic literature review method. It utilises 'CIMO logic' to identify studies and analyse the data. This study has a focus on the research published in the last ten years and it includes only peer-reviewed papers and reliable conference material. The literature provides various advice on how can BIM be integrated within Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) organisations. This study investigates solutions with an emphasis on social dimensions, provides a comparison between top-down and bottom-up perspective and investigates solutions to some of the challenges affecting implementation, in particular, communication, motivation and collaboration.] Introduction The literature regarding implementation of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in organisational settings is an important area of present discussions for both academia and people in organisations, those who are willing to implement or develop their BIM working practices. Providing a strict, systematic overview of existing literature suggestions would therefore be beneficial and will be the main aim of this study. There are, in the existing literature: investigated case studies, industry surveys, literature on challenges, opportunities with BIM and some advice on BIM implementation tactics. However, a systematic review is needed to gather practical advice and understand critical factors, main suggestions and relations between them. The process of BIM adoption on its own suggests that it is important to establish what needs to be learned in order to control and measure the BIM implementation process and understand how to integrate BIM to improve organisational performance (Succar and Kassem, 2015, Succar et al., 2013).
Uploads
Papers by Abdullahi Ahmed
Conference Presentations by Abdullahi Ahmed