Thesis Defense – Gökçe Tomrukçu (MSARCH)

Gökçe Tomrukçu – M.Sc. in Architecture

Asst. Prof. Turaj Arda Aşrafi - Advisor

Date: 26.05.2023

Time: 14.30-16.00

Location: AB4-315

“BUILDING ENERGY PERFORMANCE, OCCUPANT COMFORT AND RETROFIT STRATEGIES UNDER THE CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION PROCESS”

Asst. Prof. Turaj Arda Aşrafi, Özyeğin University

Asst. Prof. Neşe Ganiç Sağlam, Özyeğin University

Asst. Prof. Gözde Gali Taşçı, Beykent University

Abstract:

Increasing energy consumption in our developing and changing world, which has become a critical risk, is among the main reasons for climate change. Buildings are among the high-priority sectors in climate change due to their high CO2 emissions, significant energy consumption, and increasing comfort demands of building occupants. Therefore, integrating buildings with climate-resistant strategies and energy-efficient parameters in the adaptation process to climate change is of great importance for sustainable development. The necessity of taking measures to adapt buildings to climate change in the future and the importance of reducing the effects of climate change is obvious. Therefore, a comprehensive and quantitative assessment of how climate change will affect future building energy performance is essential for designing climate-resilient structures and making long-term strategic decisions. It is predicted that this change may affect each region in different ways and degrees. It is, therefore, critical to evaluate different climatic zones and different emission scenarios. The thesis aims to investigate how buildings and their energy performance will be affected by climate change in the future. In the reports announced by the IPCC, two different emission scenarios, RCP 4.5 and 8.5, were considered. The housing type, which constitutes a major part of the building stock, has been selected and analyzed comparatively with two different climatic regions, Istanbul and Izmir. Future climate data of different climatic regions were obtained using the morphing method. Different scenarios have been developed to improve building energy and thermal comfort during the climate adaptation process. In this context, it aims to explore approaches to improve the climate resilience of residential buildings by using energy-efficient integrated building design criteria. According to the results obtained, it has been proven that climate change affects each region differently. According to the RCP 8.5 scenario, the temperature increased by +4.3 °C in Istanbul and +5 °C in Izmir. Especially in Izmir, overheating has increased during the summer months. Within the scope of improvement strategies, a decrease in overheating rates was observed remarkably. Another critical outcome is that the integration of renewable energy sources into the building is of critical importance in the adaptation process to the climate. In addition, the selection of appropriate insulation thicknesses has resulted in significant energy savings in both climate zones. Although it changes according to emission scenarios compared to the current situation, approximately 65-70% of energy improvement was achieved in Istanbul, while 60-65% of energy savings were achieved in İzmir. On the other hand, in terms of thermal comfort values, while the highest internal temperatures in summer are observed as 34-35 °C in Istanbul, it is calculated as 31-32 °C in the recommended best scenario. In İzmir, while the internal temperatures are observed as 36-38°C in the current situation, it has been observed as 33-35°C as a result of the improvement scenarios. In this direction, the thesis emphasizes the importance of reducing the negative effects of climate change and aims to increase awareness of this issue.

Bio:

Gökçe Tomrukçu graduated from Ozyegin University, Department of Architecture degree in 2020. Due to her interest in sustainable architecture, energy efficiency, and climate change, she started her master's education, aiming to concentrate on her professional career in this field. During her graduate education, she worked as a teaching assistant in the Physical Environment Control undergraduate courses. She also conducted a workshop program with the theme of Ecovillage, which includes sustainable architecture and ecological design parameters, in undergraduate students' research internships. In addition to these, she attended part as a research student in the ongoing national research project of the Ozyegin University Building Materials and Physics Laboratory (BMP Lab). In this context, she participated an active role in the project on the development of near-zero energy-efficient long-term strategies for educational buildings in Turkey, supported by Tubitak. Her research interests include the effects of climate change on building energy performance and climate adaptation process, energy efficiency in buildings and nearly/net-zero energy buildings. She has published different articles and papers in these fields during her education. Lastly, she joined the Center of Energy, Environment and Economy (CEEE) staff as an Energy Efficiency Specialist to continue her work on sustainability since February 2023.