Lecture 8

BIM Curriculum 08
Environmental Impact of Buildings

Environment and Architecture

Sustainable Design Disciplines

Building Energy Performance

Building Energy Regulations

Building Energy Calculations

Sustainable Design with BIM

Economical Aspects of Sustainability

Environmental Impact of Buildings
More people live in urban areas than in rural areas
40% of global raw materials is consumed by buildings
We are running out of fossil energy sources

„Our generation must be committed to the task of bringing urban areas into
balance with the natural environment.”*
*United Nations Environment publication, World Environment Day 2005
Environment and Architecture
Historic Overview:

Traditional architecture:
protective, resists external impacts, small windows

Modern architecture:
large windows, insufficient construction technology, large energy consumption,
bad indoor climate

1980s:
counter-balancing bad indoor climate with air conditioning and heating

Sequential Design Process

design disciplines do their job one after the other
Environment and Architecture
Historic Overview:

1973-74 energy crisis:

energy over-consumption becomes an issue

Building energy research:

study and simulation of energy currents through the
building envelope

Sustainable buildings:
minimal environmental impact
design, construction and maintenance

Simultaneous Design Process

activities of design disciplines overlap to optimize
efficiency and save time
Environment and Architecture
Architectural Design Guidelines:
• Functional: constructional, operational
• Human: safety and security, health, comfort
• Cultural: aesthetics, social context

• Ecological: energy use, energy sources, building

materials, water management, waste and pollution
management

• Economical: profit, life cycle cost

 Sustainable Design Disciplines

Vennesla Library & Cultural Center, Norway Yellow Tree House Viikki Church, JKMM Architects, Photo: © Arno de la
Restaurant Chapelle

Helen & Hard, Norway - http://www.hha.no

Photo: © Emile Ashley
Pacific Environment

• Sustainable sites • Materials and resources

• Water efficiency • Indoor environment

• Energy and atmosphere • Innovation in design

• Regional priority
Building Energy Performance

Critical Design Parameters:

Fixed: Constraint:
• Climate of location • Wind
• Occupancy behavior • Surroundings (plants,
buildings, surfaces etc.)
• Process energy
• Required air change rate
• Allowed indoor climate variation
range
 Building Energy Performance
Critical Design Parameters:
Alterable by the Architect

• Building orientation • Day-lighting

• Building shape • Glazing ratio
• Physical properties of • Glazing orientation
the building envelope
• MEP systems (general strategy)
• Zoning

Design Centre, Linz

Building Energy Performance
Benchmarks - Low Energy Houses

• Less than 30kWh/m2

energy consumed for
heating annually

• Consumes less than

50% energy compared
to conventional
alternative

Commerzbank, Frankfurt am Main

Sir Norman Foster and Partners
Building Energy Performance
Benchmarks – Passive house

Hadlow College, Tornbridge, Kent, UK, Architect: James Anwyl

No conventional heating or cooling

less than 30 kWh/m2 energy consumed for heating/cooling

Extremely low primary energy consumption

less than 120 kWh/m2

Airtight construction
Building Energy Performance
Benchmarks - Net Zero Buildings

• Zero net energy

consumption
• Zero CO2 emission
E-autark building, Freiburg

• Can be used separately Architect: Diesch R.

from the grid supply

• Enough energy
produced on- site
• Super-low energy
demand
Building Energy Regulations
Objectives Defined by Legislation

EU - Climate & Energy objectives by 2020:

• 20% less greenhouse gas emissions
• 20% energy savings
• all new buildings must be net zero buildings

US - all new federal buildings must be at least Silver LEED certified

Building Energy Regulations
Standards

Define calculation methods and minimum requirements:

• Regional (country-specific) vs. global standards

• Mandatory vs. voluntary standards

• Minimum requirements are getting stricter

Building Energy Calculations
Stationery Method:

Energy balance for the heating and the cooling

season separately

Manual data input exclusively

Usage requires professional expertise

Regional
• Limited to a narrow climate range

Not truly integrated in architecture

• Executed only a couple of times for a
project
• Not used to improve the project but only to
document it
Building Energy Calculations
Dynamic Simulation Method:

Energy balance for every hour throughout a year

Semi-automated data input

User-friendly solutions exist

Global
• Can be used in all climates

Truly integrated in architecture

• Executed several times for a project
• Explore what-if scenarios for design
optimization
Sustainable Design with BIM
Building Information Modeling

Intelligent building model (virtual building)

Family House, Budapest, Hungary

Bence Vadász

Family House, Budapest, Hungary

Bence Vadász
Sustainable Design with BIM
BIM as Collaborative Foundation

• Sharing and exchange of BIM information

e.g. to execute simulations
• Strategic cooperation between software vendors

Structural
HVAC
Electrical

BIM

IFC
Piped Services/Fire
Elevators
Estimating
Energy Analysis

BIM
• Structural Engineering

• Collision Detection

• Code Checking

• Building Performance
and energy simulations
Sustainable Design with BIM
BIM and Energy Software Collaboration

Native

gbXML
NHS Office, www.paastudio.com

IFC
BIM Application Energy Analysis Application
Sustainable Design with BIM
BIM-Integrated Energy Simulation

• Model geometry analysis

• Additional data input
• Annual hourly energy simulation
• Results
Economical Aspects of Sustainability
A typical office building costs about three times its initial cost to operate and
maintain over 30 years.

Carefully implemented sustainable design only costs 2% more to build but

may pay back the original investment 10 times over.

Reduced energy consumption due to strategic green investments has a

stronger effect on the Life Cycle Cost than the original investment.

„If the team members involved know what they are doing, you can go pretty far
down the path of creating a green building without adding extra costs at all. „
Environmental Building News editor Nadav Malin
Economical Aspects of Sustainability
Life Cycle Analysis

Energy calculations and cost simulations can be used concurrently to

ensure that energy-conservation and capital goals are met.

Whole Life Cost = LCC + Profit + non construction cost

Youth Education Centre, Windberg

Architect: Herzog und Partner

Life Cycle Cost (LCC)

• Construction
• Operation
• Maintenance
• End of life
Economical Aspects of Sustainability
Youth Education Centre, Windberg
Architect: Herzog und Partner

„Going ‘green’ pays off: sustainable design benefits people, the environment,
and the bottom line. „
General Service Administration, U.S.