Building Design and performance Critique

Ellison Building

Advanced Measurement & Technology

Student Code: W11002105 Module Code: BE0898 Module Tutor: Alan Davies Word Count: 2865

Date: 10/02/15

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Contents

1 Key Considerations 3-6

2 Building Fabric Improvements 7-11

3 Service Improvements 12-14

4 Conclusion 14

5 References 15-16

Key Considerations

Economic

Social

Environmental

Solutions should be the most economical option taking into account not only the capital cost but the whole life cost and payback times of the suggested proposals

Solutions should take into account the use and needs of the building by its occupants and how measures can positively impact this experience.

Solutions should be environmentally friendly, increasing sustainability, reducing carbon emissions, maintenance and future energy consumption.

Making the case: This document sets out the case for the refurbishment of Ellison using solutions that consider the following:

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1 Introduction Ellison building stands at the heart of Northumbria Universities City Campus housing a number of the finest faculties the institution has to offer. However typical of any building of its era it suffers from a visually unappealing exterior, high energy consumption & carbon emissions with increasing maintenance costs. The university is therefore faced with the simultaneous challenges of upgrading this existing stock with ever increasing social, economic and environmental demands. Concerns regarding energy consumption are echoed nationally as the UK attempts to reduce its carbon footprint that will have to tackle the energy used in existing concrete framed buildings from the 1950s-1980s (king 2013). King highlights existing buildings account for around 45% of all carbon emission in the UK and therefore will play a major role in the government plans to decrease emissions of greenhouse gases 80% by 2050. With this in mind and considering the economic downturn, soaring tuition costs and the need for universities to demonstrate Value for money to attract the best talent refurbishment of Ellison is certainly justified. Despite significant flaws the building carries out its function very well mainly down to the constant on-going rolling internal refurbishment. The aim of this report is to provide comprehensive recommendations for the proposed refurbishment of the building in its design and engineering systems in order to meet key project goals.

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Fig. 1 Ellison Building Layout

Options Appraisal Leave & Maintain Refurbishment Demolish & Rebuild

CAPEX None Medium data taken from Martin & Gold (2000) highlights that a major refurbishment of a concrete building compared to a new build typically costs 2-3 times per m2 than a new build. increased asset value

High capital expenditure with significant disruption to academic activities as Ellison will have to be decanted. Even if phased the sheer amount of faculty staff and students housed in each block may make this approach unsuitable.

OPEX High maintenance costs for maintaining building envelope. Growing annual maintenance and service costs, increasingly expensive to cool & heat due to poor thermal performance

Extend useful life of building significantly. Phasing refurbishment can take into account budget considerations.

Low once built but expensive in construction phase as faculties, staff and students must be placed n temporary accommodation.

Environmental Transformation in energy-efficiency of buildings have improved drastically from when structures such as Ellison were built. E.g insulation standards have improved 8 fold. Poor internal and external environment. The current building uses significant amounts of wasted energy.

Maintain and recycles embodied carbon in existing building, D&B facades (no date) estimate that post-refurbishment energy consumption can be reduced 70-80%. Much the same emissions as any new build. Improved user environment.

Loss of buildings embodied energy (D&B Facades, no date) by removing masses of concrete, can amount to c.12-15% of buildings lifetime energy and therefore significant carbon gain to project.

Planning Required permission for repair to windows and cladding, have been consistent and information from planning portal suggest 4 applications in the last 10 years to do so.

Warranties can be sought on new installations, planning will be needed but not as extensive as new build.

Planning constraints are prevalent such as critical drainage area, smoke control orders, mineral consult zone, 300 all development due to airport zone. Furthermore may require shut down of further buildings even if demolition is phased.

Risk Both business risks to the universities progressive image and to the longevity to the external faade exist with this route combined with falling value of the estates assets.

Risk with installations but fall to third parties, easier to mitigate against this with appropriate advice.

Risk of all normal construction projects, furthermore if overruns occur and building is expected to be handed back significant disruption to university timetables & students.

Disruption Very minimal disruption as ongoing but possible widespread and unplanned disruption if health & safety risks occur .

Low- Building remains in full use with minimal disruption to occupants.

High as highlighted above will severely impact campus

Compliance issues Do not meet government 2050 agenda , deteriorating estates often present extensive health and safety risks that can be expensive to mitigate against

Relatively few With planning laws, health & safety with demolition and rebuild. Possibility of older building containing asbestos.

Timescale Depends on problem but often more cumbersome to fix problems as they occur and wasted man hours no preventative maintenance

fast track solution to achieving the benefits of new build .

Long project delivery timescale with operational carbon savings not quickly realised (D&B Facades no date)

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1 Improve Environmental performance

Project Goals

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Create a visually appealing building befitting a progressive academic institution

Improve the buildings usability (Without impacting the above) 3 4 Extend the usable life of the building

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2 Building Fabric Improvements Potentially the greatest area to increase the performance of Ellison and most concrete-framed buildings is in the cladding. Compromising of the glass, window frames and panels that form the external walls of the buildings changes here can transform this building into an energy-efficient, low carbon building at the fraction of the cost of rebuilding.(King 2013) By refurbishing the building envelope with an over cladding system there are enormous environmental benefits such as increasing the thermal mass of the already sound concrete frame. This is the ability of the building to absorb and store heat energy which protects against temperature fluctuations and tackles the problem that Ellison blocks A-D suffer with heat loss and condensation in winter and heat gain and solar glare in summer.

2.1.1 Cladding Material There are different options that can be selected such as insulated render systems, high-pressure laminate board systems and aluminium cassette system, each of these have a different capital cost and life expectancy. D&B facades (no date) who were contracted to preform the refurbishment for Ellison Block E used an Aluminium rainscreen cladding system, as shown in the figure 1 this has clear whole life cost advantages and would seem most suitable for a university which has occupied a city campus for such a significant amount of time. This system utilises up to 150mm insulation, 50mm air cavity and a 3mm aluminium rainscreen as shown in the figure 3 below. U-values are the measure of heat loss and is expressed in w/m2k and shows the amount of heat that is lost in watts (w) per square metre of material when the temperature (k) outside is at least one degree lower. D&B identify typical concrete walls of this era achieve 1.37 w/m2k with current building regulations being 0.3w/m2k and 0.18w.m2k being achievable through their cladding system.

Extending the use of this aluminium rain screen cladding system will therefore represent a near 7 fold improvement with added air tightness and improved heat recovery on any mechanical ventilation system. Furthermore a fully integrated structure will strengthen the existing concrete frame and protect it meaning its useful life is extended with the added bonus of a 60 year guarantee. This can translate to a near 70% saving in energy consumption and as on the University Of Warwick project undertaken by d&B facades (2009) the solution took the energy cost of the building from 198,343 and saved them a huge 158,892 per annum. This represented a capital payback of just under 17 years on the project.

Furthermore this system can also be utilised on the roof of Ellison C block which is currently just Aluminium sheet roofing with no real insulation and very low thermal efficiency. Although this may seem tricky the James Parson Building in Liverpool had similar engineering facilities which were transformed by over cladding and adding extra curved roof beams to the original trusses installing the aluminium faade on top. All the same benefits highlighted above are present in this system with a further added user experience in comfort and attractiveness of the building.

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Figure 2 D&B Facades (no date) p.7

Figure 3 D&B Facades (no date) p.20

Case Studies

James Parsons Building, Liverpool John Moores Part of the engineering facilities refurbishment transformed old engineering labs.

Cottrell Building, University of Stirling Key facts : 22,000m2 of academic and administrative accommodation over 3 storeys similar to that of Ellisons 19,674.6m2 of building (ref doc) Utilise over cladding solution explained previously 21 month contract period 3.9 Million cost Sequencing approach minimised disruption to building users and new windows were well outside of the existing ones enabling them

to be fully installed and weather proof prior to removal of the existing. Old Windows removed at night and new linings installed

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Ellison Block C

James Parsons, before & after

2.1.2 Windows The vast majority or Ellison blocks A-D have single glazed metal framed windows. Professor Doug King (2013) identifies that the first items to fail on old cladding systems are usually the flexible gaskets that seal a variety of joints including those between glazing and metal window frames and between the window frame and concrete structure of the joints. Failure of these seals causes draughts and combined with the single glazed windows in blocks A-D produce significant heat loss. Heat conduction is also a problem in Ellison with the metal framing, single glazed windows and limited solar shading. To best rectify this high performance timber aluminium composite windows should be integrated within the over cladding system. These have a very high thermal specification. Again D&B facades outline typical U values of buildings such as Ellison with single glazed window systems have 5.0w/m2k todays regulations demand 2.0w/m2k, utilising this system D&B facades claim a 0.7w/m2K value is achievable, achieving greater energy efficiency, minimising CO2 emissions and reducing heating bills whilst conserving energy. The key advantage of this whole cladding system is the way in which it can be done whilst the building is fully occupied as outlined in the previous cases studies which contributes to cost savings and has minimal impact on building users. The system is advertised as self-cleaning with the design integrates a water management system that channels water away and enables the cladding to be self-cleaning preventing staining and helping to preserve it. This has key advantages for the university as there are no maintenance costs and the clean outer appearance enhances its attractiveness. Additionally some of the cladding can be louvered to allow for improved air handling and ventilation further increasing the user experience. With all the above in place user comfort should significantly increase with the use of an insulated cladding system. As well as providing further insulation in winter, air pressure differentials and thermal differentials over the height of the building cause the air in the cavity to circulate causing cooling in the inner layers in summer, furthermore the system will absorb a lot of the solar glare leaving the concrete frame significantly cooler. (Euroform Building Boards, no date)

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2.2 Brise Soleil & Solar Panels A further consideration to changes that could be made to the external envelope of the building is the addition of a Brise soleil as shown in the case study. The brise soleil was added to the Richmond building in Bradford which now creates a distinctive architectural feature that has completely transformed the building. This Brise Soleil can certainly be employed on south facing areas of Ellison building where heat gain in summer can be very uncomfortable to building users.

Figure 4 Ellison block A & E stairwell comparison

Figure 5 D&B Facades (no date) p.8

At the university of Bradford they used this Brise Soleil to tackle the considerable heat gain without reducing daylight but made the shades out of solar panels which not only block the sunlight but also generate electricity. Blocks A, D & E could benefit from this type of system but with care taken not to locate these panels in areas shaded by the surrounding larger buildings, thought has been given therefore to the location of these in figure 10. Furthermore they could be integrated into the cladding system outlined previously on the roof of block C. Conversion efficiency of solar energy to electricity power is improving and ranges from 10% to 20% (SPONS 2015) In practice and allowing for UK weather conditions an installation of 7m2 (south facing at 30 degrees from horizontal) typically produces 1000 watts peak (1kwp) of energy. These installations typically cost 1200 2500/kwp (SPONS 2015). Government grants are available for educational institutions that wish to consider these solutions. 2.3 Green roof The potential for the retrofit of a green roof should be considered on the project. Buildings like Ellison tend to have poorer roof insulation and therefore have the greatest potential for added benefits. (Castleton, no date) A green roof is a system of roofing that utilises plant life for roof covering and consists of the layers outlined in figure 7 sometimes with an extra added layer of insulation above the slab. The primary concern here would be with regard to the green roof system design and how it applies to risk liability to do with the structure and Insurance premiums. Clearly structural calculations would have to be undertaken to check sufficient load-bearing capacity could sustain its addition but as Wieler and Scholz-Barth (2009) point out in larger concrete-framed structures the additional weight of the green roof system is usually negligible. The benefits of such a roofing system have certainly been seen at the University of Cambridge ARUP building as shown in the case study this system has been applied to provide further roof insulation which can result in huge energy savings. Considering Ellison will have very little or no roof insulation using the table below the annual saving could be as much 45-56%. This system compliments the cladding solution as on a summer day a green roof doesnt really heat up much but on a cold night remains warm due to stored up heat, saving energy and adding to user comfort as well as the visual spelnder. (Sailor et.al 2012)

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Figure 6 bradford University (no date) pp.1&2

Figure 7 Green Roofs today (no date) pp.1&2

Figure 8 Nicholas Hare Architects (no date) p.3 Figure 9

Summary of Envelope Changes

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Potential green roof site

Potential rain water harvesting site

Potential brise soleil with/or integrated PV panels site

2.4 Rain water harvesting This system could also be integrated with a rainwater harvesting system which involves using rainwater for things like WC flushing. Although this could directly be used from the green roof element there is problems in that run off will be less than from a hard roof across the course of a year and virtually nil during ordinary storm events, furthermore the run off will have high levels of turbidity so can appear dirty in white WC pans. Hassle (2007) points out a solution would be to collect rainwater run off from hard roof areas only and use them in the building for WC flushing and any irrigation systems that may be needed for the grounds around Ellison. The advantages of this system are the fact they can contribute to reducing water bills and save water. Spons (2015) points out the largest amount of water is usually from the toilets and kitchen use and can save around a third of demand. BREEAM look favourably on these systems and systems from several manufacturers are included in the Energy Technology Product List and thereby qualify for Enhance Capital Allowances (ECAs). A collection installation will need to be installed somewhere in the building and a submersible pump under the control of a monitoring system will deliver the recycled rainwater on demand. The distribution pipework to the toilets, cleaning taps, outside system will need to be a boosted system with mains supply back up.

Summary of external solutions fig. 10

Ellison looks at though it was not designed with raised floors or suspended ceilings on the majority of floors as shown in figure 11.Drastically changing the services will require touring of the services around the perimeter. This has especially been considered when keeping the radiator system due to no real alternatives and in the ventilation strategy whereby expanding this may add to user comfort but would not come with increased sustainability. After the considerable alterations to the building fabric as outlined above many of the problems to do with over-heating and poor ventilation should be tackled and it is the view of this report that mechanical systems are only there to compensate faults in the building fabric and design which should certainly be mitigated against with the measures outlined above.

Where possible local control of systems will be provided with building management system (BMS) central control override in order to provide a balance between users local control. In this way building on the research of Bordass & Leaman we can create a building that almost speaks to the user

3 Service Improvements

3.1 Lighting In line with the recommendations outlined in the advisory report prepared by team energy shown in appendix the lighting installations and strategy should be reviewed. New lighting controls should be designed to provide flexibility of operation with automatic detection of occupants using high performance microwave units recessed into the ceiling tiles and positioned for optimal detection. Furthermore they should incorporate photocell features that allow dimming control of carefully select luminaires where an increased daylight contribution these measures will participate in energy savings. In order for this to be possible the dimming luminaires would need to be adjacent to window lines. Furthermore switching the lightning to low energy luminaries used in all suspended ceilings, and surface or suspended in areas with plasterboard or exposed structure. The specific type of luminaries will be selected to suit their environment. This should provide savings long term as outlined in the report but with the added daylighting provisions contribute to a much healthier environment for building occupants with increased energy savings.

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3.2 Blinds/internal solar shading? A blind solution could also be considered to be incorporated into the building to provide further solar shading. Using mechanical blinds that help control solar shading will help improve the comfort for occupants. By moving to a mechanical system in lecture rooms it will make it easier to control the system from a building user perspective as currently in the blinds constantly remain down to them being cumbersome to put up. This solution should save energy do to a decrease in electricity demands for lighting as well as improve the user experience with greater access to natural light. (Gold & Martin 2000) Blinds should be under local automatic control with manual override allowing early morning solar gains prior to occupation to be minimised, as well as containing the amount of solar gains on hotter day to prevent overheating.

Figure 11 BIM Academy (2013)

3.3 Ventilation Natural ventilation should be provided through the externally openable windows which in most rooms are sized to permit sufficient fresh air into the respective rooms. Further ventilation should not be installed as required of the brief this would impact on sustainability. In rooms with high density PCs which already have ventilation in this should be upgrade to a more modern system and provide mechanical supply and extract with comfort cooling due to equipment heat gains and to keep building users comfortable. New supply and extract systems should also be provided to the toilets to provide a better atmosphere in what are currently very low standard. It will have to be the responsibility of the user to ensure that all windows are closed when the cooling equipment is being used which should be clearly sign posted. Server rooms will not have any mechanical ventilation as they are considered unoccupied areas. With the added measures a

3.5 Toilets An overhaul and refurbishment to all toilets should be made throughout Ellison especially in blocks A-D. The current toilets are of extremely low standard with only 1 hand dryer per bathroom, considering the occupancy this means a lot of users simply use toilet paper from the cubicles to dry their hands, an increase in the new low energy Dyson systems would mean less paper is sent to landfills and wasted in general. Furthermore new cubical dividers should be installed that are slightly longer or with doors that open outward instead of inwards as currently it is very uncomfortable for a user to negotiate there way around the doors that open inward. This would greatly impact the buildings users comfort and perception of the building.

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3.4 Heating System 3.4.1 Solar water heating Solar water heating could be integrated with the previous suggestions on providing solar roof panels. The principle outlined in SPONS (2015) involves the collection of heat from the sun via a fluid which is circulated in a roof solar panel or collector. The heated fluid can then be used to preheat hot water for the radiator system either in separate tank or a twin coil hot water cylinder. Typical systems can produce approximately 500 to 800 kwh/m2 per year but only if there is sufficient hot water demand. 3.4.2 Pipe insulation Pipe insulation should be incorporated through the whole system which will reduce heat lost and contribute to energy savings 3.4.3 Considerations of Boilers A biomass boiler was initially considered which utilised wood chips or pellets and is identified as having little technical impact. However due to problems with a viable source of fuel, delivery access, storage, ash removal and periodic de-coking (SPONS 2015) the system was ruled out. The modular gas condensing boilers should be kept in place but consideration should be given to expanding the use of the 8 below Ellison A block to the whole of Ellison due to the predicted energy savings from the suggested measures. The energy demand could be as much as 70% lower meaning many of the boilers used to supply the other blocks can simply be decommissioned.

3.6 Wind Generation This can be an effective source of renewable power in a suitable location as suggested by the generator already currently used. Without a grant SPONS recognise an installation cost range of 3000 to 5000 per KW of generator capacity may be achieved for small building0moutned turbines. Care would have to be taken in its positioning as the vibration from such systems can annoy building occupants, furthermore they are dependable on wind speed, obstructions, turbulence and the elevation of the turbine above the ground. There is also split opinions on there aesthetics and therefore this report would suggest a further study into this before further turbines were used.

4 Conclusion

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Ellison building can certainly benefit from the measures outlined in this report in reducing its energy consumption, carbon emissions and increasing its occupants usability. Significant advantages in adopting a rainscreen over cladding system have already been seen in Block E and its ability to transform Ellison into an energy-efficient, low carbon building at the fraction of the cost of rebuilding certainly makes this scheme a viable option. In essence all Ellison needs is a facelift to support what is already a good solid foundation and internal space. By integrating further energy saving measures and smarter BMS & Integrated management systems Northumbria university can really make a best in class example that exceeds expectations in sustainability and usability not only for refurbished buildings but new builds also.

3.7 BMS and integrated energy management system The key aim of this system would be to manage the building systems to create and maintain the internal environment and keep heating and cooling running at their optimal level and prevent them running when not needed. Interoperable data systems with integrated smart metering can allow local controls provide users with feedback and can be used with nearly all of the systems identified in this section. Innovations in the Europe now allow for users to integrate new devices for monitoring energy consumption of the building through cloud based platforms . The complete system can be used at facility control level and monitoring level allowing the facilities manager remote control through a multi-screen interface for multiple buildings, in this case the different blocks of Ellison. Wireless sensor networks consisting of sensor nodes can be installed that relay information from sensors recording temperature, humidity, luminance and power consumption as well as weather forecasting systems allowing for more accurate future considerations. (FINESCE 2014) A system like this would add to the occupant comfort as well as allow for energy savings and more centralised control with the added benefit of user understanding. Furthermore this would be the most innovative system of its type in the UK and may well qualify for several of the Internet of Things (IOT) grants announced by Prime Minister David Cameron in 2014.

Figure 12 FINESCE (2014)

5 References

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AECOM(ed.), SPONS Mechanical and Electrical Services Price Book (2015); Boca Raton: Taylor & Francis Group,LLC Bim Academy (2013) BIM academy launches asset and facilities management offer Available at: http://collab.northumbria.ac.uk/bim2/bim-academy-launches-asset-facilities-management-offer (Accessed: 09 February 2015) Castleton, H. (no date) Green Roofs; Building Energy Savings and the Potential for Retrofit. [Lecture university of Sheffield]. [Online] Available at: http://e-futures.group.shef.ac.uk/publications/pdf/15_10%20-%20HOLLY%20CASTLETON%20Green%20roofs.pdf (Accessed: 28 January 2015) d&b facades (no date) Design and Build for the Further and Higher Education Sectors. [online] Available at: http://www.dbfacades.com/db_downloads/d+b_company_brochure.pdf (Accessed: 05 February 2015) d&b facades (no date) The solution to a legacy of 1960s academic buildings [online] Available at: http://www.dbfacades.com/db_downloads/d+b_technical_brochure.pdf (Accessed: 05 February 2015) d&b facades (no date) External Refurbishment of Ageing Academic Buildings: Building the Business Case [online] Available at: http://www.dbfacades.com/db_downloads/d+b_Building_the_Business_Case.pdf (Accessed: 05 February 2015) d&b facades (no date) Case study James Parsons Building [online] Available at: http://www.dbfacades.com/db_downloads/case_study.pdf (Accessed: 05 February 2015) d&b facades (no date) External Refurbishment of High-Rise Social Housing [online] Available at: http://www.dbfacades.com/db_downloads/d+b-residential.pdf (Accessed: 05 February 2015) d&b facades (no date) The University of Warwick Case Study [online] Available at: http://www.dbfacades.com/db_downloads/d+bwarwick.pdf (Accessed: 05 February 2015) d&b facades (no date) Comparison of cladding options [online] Available at: http://www.dbfacades.com/db_downloads/solutions.pdf (Accessed: 05 February 2015) ech2o Eviromental Consultancy. (2007) Contemporary furniture. [Lecture CIBSE Conference]. [Online] Available at: http://www.ech2o.co.uk/downloads/rwh%20and%20green%20roofs%20for%20cibse%20Oct%202007.pdf (Accessed: 27 January 2015) Euroform Products (no date) Rainscreen cladding. Available at: http://www.building-boards.co.uk/rainscreen-cladding/ (Accessed: 17 January 2015)

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FINESCE (2014) ACCIONA office building the next generation of building. Available at: http://www.finesce.eu/Trial_Site_Madrid.html (Accessed: 09 February 2015) Green Roofs Today (no date) What is green roof. Available at: http://www.greenroofstoday.co.uk/ (Accessed: 27 January 2015) King, D., (2013) Green facelift for concrete buildings. Ingenia, (55), pp.17-24, Sustainability [Online] Available at: http://www.ingenia.org.uk/ingenia/issues/issue55/King.pdf (Accessed on: 03 February 2015) Martin, A., Gold, C. (2000) Refurbishment of concrete buildings, the decision to refurbish [Online] Available at: https://www.concretecentre.com/pdf/GN_Refurbishment%20of%20Concrete%20Buildings.pdf (Accessed on: 08 February 2015) Nicholas Hare Architects (no date) The Arup Building [Online] Available at: http://www.nicholashare.co.uk/data/projects/0652/project.pdf?11006 (Accessed on: 02 February 2015) Sailor, D., Elly, T., Gibson, M. (2012) building energy effects of green roof design. [Lecture BEST 3 Conference - Atlanta]. [Online] Available at: http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.nibs.org/resource/resmgr/BEST/best3_sailor.1.11.pdf (Accessed: 02 February 2015) University of Bradford (no date) Solar Photovoltaic. Bradford: Briefing note 4. [Online] Available at: http://www.brad.ac.uk/estates/media/academicdevelopment/documents/esd/solar-photovoltaic.pdf (Accessed on: 08 February 2015) Weiler, S., Scholz-Barth, K; (2009) New Jesey: John Wiley & Sons

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