Prefabricated Underground Energy Room for Utility Decoupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for connecting public utilities and services to buildings are time-consuming and costly, as multiple excavations are required for different utility companies to hook up their services during building construction.
Innovation Solution
An energy room or energy center is proposed, which is a prefabricated, underground structure separate from the building, equipped with service connections, energy generation, and storage devices, allowing for bidirectional energy flow between the energy center and the building.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If service connection rooms are installed underground and separate from the building, then access for utility hookups is simplified and construction time is reduced, but the complexity of the overall system increases due to additional underground infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The service connection infrastructure is segmented into a separate, modular underground service connection room that can be independently constructed and accessed. This segmentation allows utility companies to hook up services without needing access to the building itself, thereby reducing construction time delays while the modular nature helps manage system complexity through standardized components
Solution Approach 2:
The service connection room is prepared in advance with all necessary service connections, meters, and control devices installed before the building construction is completed. This preliminary action allows utility hookups to occur independently and in parallel with building construction, significantly reducing the time loss associated with sequential construction processes
2Area of stationary object
If service connection room is physically separate from the building, then building space is freed for living or working use, but the difficulty of connecting service lines increases
Solution Approach 1:
The underground service connection room acts as an intermediary structure between the external utility networks and the building. It provides a centralized location with pre-installed service connections that can be easily accessed by utility companies, while the building itself requires minimal intervention - only standard service line connections from the service room to the building, thereby maintaining ease of operation despite physical separation
Solution Approach 2:
The service connection room is designed as a universal, multi-functional underground structure that can accommodate various utility services (water, sewage, electricity, telecommunications) through standardized service connections. This universality allows different utility companies to connect to the same infrastructure using standard procedures, maintaining ease of operation across multiple service types while freeing up building space
3Adaptability or versatility
If energy storage devices are installed in the energy center, then energy self-sufficiency is enhanced, but the volume of the structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
Energy storage devices such as batteries and tanks are nested within the underground service connection room, utilizing the vertical and horizontal space efficiently. The service connection room serves as the outer container that houses both the utility service infrastructure and the energy storage systems, creating a nested arrangement that enhances energy self-sufficiency while minimizing the overall volume required at the building site
Data Source
AI summary
An energy room for providing energy to a building that is physically separate from the energy room. The energy room contains on the one side service connections from public utilities and services and on the other side service connections to service lines that run to the building. The energy room becomes an energy center for the building by housing energy generation equipment and energy storage devices. The energy center generates energy that is supplied to the building, but also receives energy that is generated at the building and uses that energy to generate another form of energy and/or stores that energy to be delivered at a later time to the building.