The Building Environment Simulation (BES) project was a 22 month project undertaken at the UCL Centre for Sustainable Heritage, aimed to deliver an environmental simulation model of The National Archives (TNA) Q1 repository building which contains UK Government records of almost 1,000 years of history.
The model simulated the environmental conditions (temperature and relative humidity) inside the building and provided TNA with the knowledge needed to optimise building performance in terms of a stable preservation environment with reduced energy use. Upon completion the model was able to model environmental conditions and associated energy consumption inside the repository building in response to:
- Changes in external environmental conditions.
- Changes in the structure of the building.
- Changes in the operation of the air-conditioning system.
- Changes in the quantity (mass) of the content in the repositories.
- Other changes related to occupancy and use of the building.
The model was constructed using the EnergyPlus software package in which UCL has considerable expertise. EnergyPlus was selected due to the programme's ability to simulate heat and moisture exchange between the building fabric, the collection material and the internal air.
People
Dr Ian Ridley
UCL
Dr Matija Strlic
Principal Investigator
UCL
Image credit
Unsplash: C M (ubahnverleih)
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