The purpose of this thesis is to investigate if vacuum insulation panels are a competitive alternative to traditional insulation.Vacuum insulation has been used as insulation in buildings in Germany and Switzerland for a few years. In Sweden the high-performance insulation material is mainly used in refrigerators, freezers and vacuum thermoses. The development is proceeding well and vacuum insulation is becoming more common in the construction industry. Since it is a relatively unexplored material on the market there are many flaws and problems with the material.The questions we have chosen to answer in this report include an increased knowledge of vacuum insulation, various problems that may arise when handling/installation and the pros and cons of vacuum insulation compared to standard traditional insulation.The methods we have chosen to use in this report is a literature study, interviews with various suppliers and manufactures and calculations to show the differences between traditional and vacuum insulation. Vacuum insulation is 5-10 times better insulation than standard traditional mineral wool insulation, mainly at the beginning of its lifetime.Vacuum insulation panels (VIP) have a service life of approximately 50 years, whereas traditional insulation has a service life of approximately 100 years.

The purpose of this project is to analyze earthing systems for houses. By practical measurements and theoretical analyzes consequences of possible faults, that can occur within the facility and in the low-voltage distribution network, is illustrated.  The reason for this project is that nowadays one has to arrange with a main equipotential bonding system for buildings. Apart from that, if necessary, bathrooms must be provided with a supplementary equipotential bonding system.The practical measurements verify that potential differences in facilities may be due to voltage drops in the PEN conductor between the origin of the electrical installation and the power transformer.Based on the theoretical analyzes of possible faults, it is considered that the requirement for  supplementary equipotential bonding systems for bathrooms in most cases can be questioned, when basic insulation, fault protection, residual current devise and main equipotential bonding system already provides an adequate level of protection.A PEN conductor loss may result in a situation where metallic parts attached to the equipotential bonding system starts working as earth electrodes. Equipotential bonding system may also increase the incidence of stray currents. If TN-C-S systems is provided with a local connection to earth a redundant system against PEN conductor loss is obtained.

The purpose of this thesis is to collect knowledge of techniques and materials for planning roofgardens. Gardens built on top of buildings is not a new phenomenon, already in the beginning of the century architects were experimenting with roofgardens. During the Modern Era roofgardens appeared as a part of the design and worked well together with flat roofs and the ideas of light, air and greenery. Today the most common kind of roofgarden is on a ground-level joist that hides parking or other underground functions. The most important difference between planning a roofgarden and a garden on the ground is the limitation of the load of the roofgarden. Plants, paving-material and equipment must be chosen with this in mind. A light and thin layer of soil demands plants with small needs for water and nutrition.

The survey aims to shed light on traditional and contemporary bottom floor frames, their construction and different insulating materials; mineral wool, wood shavings and charcoal. The purpose is to analyze and discuss the similarities and differences as well as the pros and cons with a focus on the construction and the different insulating materials. The work has been limited to comparing two different wooden floor frames. The first one is based on a real floor frame from an older building, this example is presented as the traditional floor frame in this study and are from around 1940. The other floor frame is presented as a contemporary floor frame and is based on wood building type descriptions and literature.

In a sequence described in the next paragraphs, I remove the poorly insulated roof of Gustavsberg Porcelain Factory and make new use of its  foundation. The monolith cement slab, once supporting heavy industrial machinery, is now the site of lakes and other movements:The top floor area is split, and a new built volume, one story higher, overtakes the southern half resting on the factory?s basement, digging into it at its western and eastern ends. Striking horizontally, the fissure exposes a long central axis, taking advantage of the factory?s horizontality to articulate vastness .

This thesis includes an energy survey of the Herrgården pre-school, which has a modern heating- and ventilation system, and a comparison with Östers pre-school which has an older system. An energy survey of Östers pre-school has already been done by a group of three students and all the calculations and values have been collected from that survey. As of today, both pre-schools are heated thru district heating. It will be much easier to make smart and feasible energy-saving-measures by first conducting the energy survey.Herrgården pre-school in Gävle houses 81 children, therteen teachers, one cleaner and one cook. It was finished in the middle of 2009 and the staff has been very pleased with the in-door climate.

This thesis includes an energy survey of the Herrgården pre-school, which has a modern heating- and ventilation system, and a comparison with Östers pre-school which has an older system. An energy survey of Östers pre-school has already been done by a group of three students and all the calculations and values have been collected from that survey. As of today, both pre-schools are heated thru district heating. It will be much easier to make smart and feasible energy-saving-measures by first conducting the energy survey.Herrgården pre-school in Gävle houses 81 children, therteen teachers, one cleaner and one cook. It was finished in the middle of 2009 and the staff has been very pleased with the in-door climate.

This thesis includes an energy survey of the Herrgården pre-school, which has a modern heating- and ventilation system, and a comparison with Östers pre-school which has an older system. An energy survey of Östers pre-school has already been done by a group of three students and all the calculations and values have been collected from that survey. As of today, both pre-schools are heated thru district heating. It will be much easier to make smart and feasible energy-saving-measures by first conducting the energy survey.Herrgården pre-school in Gävle houses 81 children, therteen teachers, one cleaner and one cook. It was finished in the middle of 2009 and the staff has been very pleased with the in-door climate.

Along with rising energy prices and increasing awareness of environmental issues, the criteria for buildings energy performance have been sharpened through the years. Today, ?passive house? and ?low energy house? are commonly used phrases in the construction industry and is expected to become increasingly common in the future.For houses with well-insulated building envelope the importance of well constructed details increases when minimizing the heat losses. Examples of these details are floor-wall junction and window openings in the wall. In such connections thermal bridges occur, which means that heat more easily is transported out of the building, compared to the rest of the building envelope.This report deals with detail solutions around windows and a comparison between a traditional slab and a foundation from Koljern consisting of foam glass.

This thesis includes an energy survey of the Herrgården pre-school, which has a modern heating- and ventilation system, and a comparison with Östers pre-school which has an older system. An energy survey of Östers pre-school has already been done by a group of three students and all the calculations and values have been collected from that survey. As of today, both pre-schools are heated thru district heating. It will be much easier to make smart and feasible energy-saving-measures by first conducting the energy survey.Herrgården pre-school in Gävle houses 81 children, therteen teachers, one cleaner and one cook. It was finished in the middle of 2009 and the staff has been very pleased with the in-door climate.

Deep litter is a system for animals kept in separate stalls, loafing and bedding in wind shelters. The litter can consist of different bedding, like straw and peat. The system is allowed to build over and to ensure optimal proportions it is necessary to add new straw regularly and to have good conditions. Important conditions are aerobic state, humidity, amount of organic substance and acceptable temperatures in the litter. The micro organisms are depending on temperature for their living conditions and to get the bottom layer in the litter to start burning.

This thesis has been carried out at the Department of Urban and Rural Development at SLU Ultuna during the spring semester 2009. The topic of the paper is how energy consumption can be influenced through design and if the conditions for good design decreases when solutions based on energy efficiency are used. The report is divided into one literature study and one part where energy efficient solutions are used in a design. The thesis work has its origin in a project called "Energihus i Uppsala." The planned building will be a center for energy research in Uppsala. The project aims to demonstrate to the public what is currently happening in research related to energy.

Sammanfattning Byggbranschen som sådan har över lång tid visat sig vara en mycket konservativ bransch. Gamla beprövade metoder och konstruktionslösningar tenderar att väljas före det som kan anses som nytt och oprövat. Under senare år har dock ett stigande energipris samt den globala uppvärmningen drivit utvecklingen i en riktning där energieffektiva byggnader efterfrågas i allt större omfattning. Detta medför en efterfrågan för nya material och byggnadssätt som kan ersätta eller komplettera de mer traditionella. Ett för i Sverige förhållandevis nytt byggnadssätt är att uppföra byggnader med Structural Insulated Panels SIPS. Dessa är konstruktionselement som används för både väggar och tak.

Environmental destruction is a growing problem in our world. Almost every day there are new reports concerning that we have to do something about the greenhouse gasses. Simultaneously is the human constantly more eager to have a life with higher standards and therefore uses more energy. The environment is a question that is highly up-to-date and more people try to find solutions on how to save our planet. One way to decrease the energy demand is to build passive houses, where the houses don?t have any active heating.

This report is the result of a degree project in building engineering, at an advanced level. The project evaluated a building from a technical and historical point of view, and focused on its energy consumption, particularly the energy used for heating. The building in question was a small apartment building in Strömsholm, Sweden. It was made in 1902, from vertical logs, a not so common form of the traditional log house. The goal of the project was to evaluate if the energy consumption could be reduced in accordance with building preservation regulations, that is without damaging any of the building?s cultural or historical values.The building was surveyed with the help of archive and literature studies, interviews and inspections.