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Building Services Research Group

Talotekniikan tutkimusryhmä

HybE

HybE – Hybrid Energy Solutions

“Hiilineutraalit energiatkaisut ja lämpöpumpputeknologia” or HybE is a five-year (2022–2026) research program, that seeks to develop solutions for the successful implementation of buildings’ emission cutbacks in every stage of the life cycle of the building, from the definition stage of the planning and building of the project to the usage and maintenance stage.

The research will be implemented through doctoral research and through shorter, year long, research sprints. The research subjects deal with practical construction industry themes and are decided together with the researchers and the company partners.

Background

Energy efficient buildings are an important part in climate change prevention. Energy efficient solutions require ever more complicated building technical systems, whose actualization and usage has new challenges. In practice, the buildings planned to be energy efficient often do not reach the set goals.

Research Areas

  • Lean-construction
  • Energy solutions
  • Real estate business

Project members

Piia Sormunen
Industry Professor, Talotekniikka
Rakennetun ympäristön tiedekunta

Jukka Puhto
Yliopistotutkija, Rakennustekniikka
Rakennetun ympäristön tiedekunta

Janne Hirvonen
Yliopistotutkija, Talotekniikka
Rakennetun ympäristön tiedekunta

Sina Moradi
Tutkijatohtori, Rakennustekniikka
Rakennetun ympäristön tiedekunta

Natalia Lastovets
Tutkijatohtori, Rakennustekniikka
Rakennetun ympäristön tiedekunta

Juha Franssila
Väitöskirjatutkija, Rakennustekniikka
Rakennetun ympäristön tiedekunta

Mohamed Elsayed
Tutkijatohtori, Rakennustekniikka
Rakennetun ympäristön tiedekunta

Santeri Siren
Väitöskirjatutkija, Rakennustekniikka
Rakennetun ympäristön tiedekunta

Project partners

Foundations and associations

Paavo V. Suomisen rahasto
Sähkötekniikan ja energiatehokkuuden edistämiskeskus STEK ry

Companies

Granlund Oy
Ramboll Oy
Senaatti-kiinteistöt Oy
HUS Kiinteistöt Oy
HUS Tilakeskus

 

Doctoral thesis work

Carbon neutral hybrid energy solutions in urban environment

This doctoral thesis investigates the design and operation of modern heat pump systems in urban areas with limited space, specifically with a focus on borehole field regeneration.

2024 Research sprints

RS4. Exploring Characteristics of Deep Collaboration and Investigating Impacts of Collaborative Delivery Models on the Productivity and Environmental Sustainability of Construction Projects

This research sprint investigates how collaborative project methods practically impact the economic and environmental indicators of completed constructions projects. Specifically, the performance of alliance-type projects is examined through expert interviews and case studies.

RS5. Risk management of building energy renovations and the diagnosis of energy gap and system faults

This research sprint explores the methods of monitoring and maintaining energy efficiency in buildings. How do the current practices perform and how can modern energy-as-a-service methods improve on the situation? Building hybrid energy systems pose their own challenges for building operations. The project also aims to provide a risk management model for the design and operation of hybrid energy systems involving heat pumps.

RS6. Solutions for areal energy production

This research sprint explores the concept of areal energy production from the scale of few buildings to a city district. What does it mean and what kind of demonstrations exist? How do the current regulations enable and restrict such solutions? What kind of business models and future trends exist in the field of areal energy production?

2023 Research Sprints

Results seminars

The results seminar for research sprints 1, 2 and 3 was held on 12.9.2023. The presentation showing the findings of these research sprints can be viewed here: HybE tulosseminaari 2023

RS1. Exploring and overcoming challenges of project design and delivery in constructing and renovating energy efficient buildings

This study looks into the observed gaps between buildings’ target energy consumption and the observed energy consumption.

Interviews and surveys with experts in the field are used to find out the challenges and barriers in realizing energy-efficiency in buildings and to find solutions to improve the match between targets and observed results. 

This research sprint has ended. The final report (in English) can be found here: HybE Tutkimussprintti 1 Loppuraportti

RS2. Hybrid energy system solution packages for the retrofitting of non-residential buildings

Modern hybrid energy systems in buildings are increasingly complex, making it hard to estimate their impact on final energy consumption and emissions. Calculation methods used to estimate their effect are either too simplistic or require specialized software and engineering skills to use.

In this research sprint, the goal is to develop an open source calculation tool that can be used without significant engineering expertise and that examines building loads and energy generation at a detailed level, to account for the joint use of different building energy systems.

This research sprint had ended. The final report (in Finnish) can be found here: HybE Tutkimussprintti 2 Loppuraportti

The hybrid energy system calculation tool can be downloaded here: HybE Calculation tool

RS3. Regulatory environment of energy systems in the building stock

The regulatory environment of buildings and real estate in Finland and EU is difficult to grasp, as there are many layers of national and EU level targets and programs.

This state-of-the-art study examines the important regulatory objects that can influence a real estate owner’s strategy when it comes to energy-efficiency and carbon neutrality targets. 

This research sprint had ended. The final report (in Finnish) can be found here: HybE Tutkimussprintti 3 Loppuraportti

Scientific publications

Sina Moradi, Janne Hirvonen, Piia Sormunen, Collaborative and life cycle-based project delivery for environmentally sustainable building construction, Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, 2024

Sina Moradi, Janne Hirvonen, Piia Sormunen, A qualitative and life cycle-based study of the energy performance gap in building construction: Perspectives of Finnish project professionals and maintenance experts, Building Research and Information Journal, 2023

Sina Moradi, Piia Sormunen, Implementing Lean Construction: A Literature Study of Barriers, Enablers, and Implications, Buildings, 2023

Sina Moradi, Piia Sormunen, Revisiting the concept of waste and its causes in construction from analytical and conceptual perspectives, Construction Management & Economics, 2023

Sina Moradi, Piia Sormunen, Integrating Lean Construction, Sustainability, and Building Information Modelling: Analysis of Challenges, Enablers, Tools and Techniques, and Benefits, Construction Innovation, 2023

Sina Moradi, Piia Sormunen, Lean and Sustainable Project Delivery in Building Construction: Development of a Conceptual Framework, Buildings, 2022

 

Janne Hirvonen, Santeri Siren, Piia Sormunen, Seasonal waste heat storage in energy-efficient Finnish apartment buildings, Net-Zero Future 2024, 18.-22.6.2024, Oslo, Norway

Janne Hirvonen, Piia Sormunen, Hybrid energy system calculation tool for early stage building retrofit planning, BuildSim Nordic 2024, 9.-11.6.2024, Espoo, Finland

Janne Hirvonen, Natalia Lastovets, Piia Sormunen, Laskentamalli rakennusten hybridienergiajärjestelmien tarkasteluun, Rakennusfysiikka 2023, 24.-26.10.2023, Tampere, Finland

 

Project management

Piia Sormunen

  • Industry Professor
  • Talotekniikka
  • Rakennetun ympäristön tiedekunta
  • Tampereen yliopisto
  • +358504766731
  • piia.sormunen@tuni.fi

Jukka Puhto

More information

Janne Hirvonen

  • yliopistotutkija
  • talotekniikka
  • Rakennetun ympäristön tiedekunta
  • Tampereen yliopisto
  • +358504795180
  • janne.hirvonen@tuni.fi
More information

Researchers

Mohamed Elsayed

  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow
  • Faculty of Built Environment
  • Tampere University
  • +358505658115
  • mohamed.elsayed@tuni.fi

Juha Franssila

  • väitöskirjatutkija
  • Rakennetun ympäristön tiedekunta
  • Tampereen yliopisto
  • +358505645172
  • juha.franssila@tuni.fi

Janne Hirvonen

  • yliopistotutkija
  • talotekniikka
  • Rakennetun ympäristön tiedekunta
  • Tampereen yliopisto
  • +358504795180
  • janne.hirvonen@tuni.fi
More information