BIPV-facades and Fire Safety: Risks and Possible Solutions
(2024) In LUTVDG/TVBB VBRM01 20241Division of Fire Safety Engineering
- Abstract
- The construction industry has always been changing and adapting to new innovations, values, requirements, and goals from the outside world. These days are no different. The climate change is still mostly relevant and everything we could do to mitigate this should be applied in the construction sector. It is nowadays a known fact that buildings represent a significant portion of the carbon dioxide emissions to our atmosphere. This calls for green solutions, and one of the more prominent innovations in modern times are the photovoltaic (PV) systems. PVs has been around for some years now and it seem to just keep growing. The newest innovation in the PV evolution is the use of Building Integrated Photovoltaic Systems (BIPVs), where the system... (More)
- The construction industry has always been changing and adapting to new innovations, values, requirements, and goals from the outside world. These days are no different. The climate change is still mostly relevant and everything we could do to mitigate this should be applied in the construction sector. It is nowadays a known fact that buildings represent a significant portion of the carbon dioxide emissions to our atmosphere. This calls for green solutions, and one of the more prominent innovations in modern times are the photovoltaic (PV) systems. PVs has been around for some years now and it seem to just keep growing. The newest innovation in the PV evolution is the use of Building Integrated Photovoltaic Systems (BIPVs), where the system has been integrated into the wall and produces energy for the building it is serving. This student thesis aims to contribute to an increased knowledge in the subject, identify challenges and solutions relating to the use of BIPV’s in residential and commercial developments. This to present a good starting platform for any consultant involved in projects where BIPV’s will be integrated in the building.
First step was to conduct a literature review to gain greater understanding of the subject and to come up with relevant questions for the interview study. The interview attendees was chosen from different fields in the industry and different countries, this to get a wider scope and more opinions as their focus might vary depending on their roll and where they are located. Recommendations from colleagues and other actors were also very useful to find relevant attendees for the interviews. Manufacturers, fire brigades, and fire engineers were interviewed. Focus was to interview actors who has been in contact with this new technology and to learn from two BIPV-projects, Sara Kulturhus and 550 Spencer Street. Issues and possible solutions were identified as a result of the literature review and interview study.
The conclusions show that BIPVs are ahead of legislation, as there is a gap in both Swedish and Australian legislation. This puts pressure on the fire engineer. Full-scale testing is recommended to be used to get a full understanding of the facades fire behaviour, highlighting that the design and fire behaviour differs between manufacturers. Once we know more about the facades fire behaviour, then we can provide measures to mitigate the identified issues. Small-scale testing might be enough in the future, but the industry is not there just yet. BIPVs are also much more complex to implement than the older regular PVs. A couple of solutions was identified that were used in both Sara Kulturhus and 550 Spencer Street. A performance solution should always be used. Comparing BIPV-façade to curtain walls, laminated glazing, etc, as some projects have done, is an oversimplification, as it is more complex than that. To have a holistic approach is necessary to understand these facades and the risks. Worries from the brigade was also highlighted, which mainly was the risk of electrocution, evacuation, falling panels, and lack of information. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9163627
- author
- Dahl, Gustav LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- BIPV-fasader och Brandsäkerhet: Risker och Möjliga Lösningar
- course
- VBRM01 20241
- year
- 2024
- type
- M2 - Bachelor Degree
- subject
- keywords
- BIPV, PV, BAPV, Fire risks, Fire safety, Photovoltaics, BIPV-facade, Performance Solution
- publication/series
- LUTVDG/TVBB
- report number
- 5727
- other publication id
- LUTVDG/TVBB--5727--SE
- language
- English
- id
- 9163627
- date added to LUP
- 2024-06-24 08:53:58
- date last changed
- 2024-06-24 08:53:58
@misc{9163627,
abstract = {{The construction industry has always been changing and adapting to new innovations, values, requirements, and goals from the outside world. These days are no different. The climate change is still mostly relevant and everything we could do to mitigate this should be applied in the construction sector. It is nowadays a known fact that buildings represent a significant portion of the carbon dioxide emissions to our atmosphere. This calls for green solutions, and one of the more prominent innovations in modern times are the photovoltaic (PV) systems. PVs has been around for some years now and it seem to just keep growing. The newest innovation in the PV evolution is the use of Building Integrated Photovoltaic Systems (BIPVs), where the system has been integrated into the wall and produces energy for the building it is serving. This student thesis aims to contribute to an increased knowledge in the subject, identify challenges and solutions relating to the use of BIPV’s in residential and commercial developments. This to present a good starting platform for any consultant involved in projects where BIPV’s will be integrated in the building.
First step was to conduct a literature review to gain greater understanding of the subject and to come up with relevant questions for the interview study. The interview attendees was chosen from different fields in the industry and different countries, this to get a wider scope and more opinions as their focus might vary depending on their roll and where they are located. Recommendations from colleagues and other actors were also very useful to find relevant attendees for the interviews. Manufacturers, fire brigades, and fire engineers were interviewed. Focus was to interview actors who has been in contact with this new technology and to learn from two BIPV-projects, Sara Kulturhus and 550 Spencer Street. Issues and possible solutions were identified as a result of the literature review and interview study.
The conclusions show that BIPVs are ahead of legislation, as there is a gap in both Swedish and Australian legislation. This puts pressure on the fire engineer. Full-scale testing is recommended to be used to get a full understanding of the facades fire behaviour, highlighting that the design and fire behaviour differs between manufacturers. Once we know more about the facades fire behaviour, then we can provide measures to mitigate the identified issues. Small-scale testing might be enough in the future, but the industry is not there just yet. BIPVs are also much more complex to implement than the older regular PVs. A couple of solutions was identified that were used in both Sara Kulturhus and 550 Spencer Street. A performance solution should always be used. Comparing BIPV-façade to curtain walls, laminated glazing, etc, as some projects have done, is an oversimplification, as it is more complex than that. To have a holistic approach is necessary to understand these facades and the risks. Worries from the brigade was also highlighted, which mainly was the risk of electrocution, evacuation, falling panels, and lack of information.}},
author = {{Dahl, Gustav}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
series = {{LUTVDG/TVBB}},
title = {{BIPV-facades and Fire Safety: Risks and Possible Solutions}},
year = {{2024}},
}