Green Buildings with BIM Part 1: Determining Requirements
The biggest impact on the natural environment is the built environment – as we start to see the effects of generations of ignorance about how human activities impact the natural world, there is a growing push towards green technologies. Green building design is about more than adding a grey water system and using solar panels, though. These measures are important, but the building’s design can make quite a difference in the demand for resources and therefore reduce load on whatever water and power systems are in place. We are launching a two-part look at how building information modelling pushes green design to the forefront of a construction project, and specifically at the requirements-listing phase.
Green building requirements
The design of a building depends on the way it interacts with its environment for energy efficiency. The requirements listing phase of a green building project will include tasks like:
- Establishing requirements for building space
- Establishing usage patterns and environmental needs based on these
- Setting energy efficiency goals; using these goals to develop specific strategies for the projects; enumerating requirements based on this.
- Looking at how air quality, climate, security needs and site constraints will impact the possibilities for natural ventilation
- Looking at how solar patterns will impact the need for electricity
- Looking at natural moisture control, sound control and adaptive comfort strategies
Structural engineers, architects and designers will all need to collaborate to ensure that green building principles are met. Green strategies that work visually for an architect may not be possible or practical from a structural engineer’s point of view. Building information modelling systems have a huge advantage in this respect, allowing easy document sharing and accessibility by all parties at all stages. Environmentally sound strategies that may otherwise have been lost in a more pragmatic approach can be much more easily preserved with BIM.
Natural lighting and ventilation are a big part of green building and are much easier to visualize with the automated systems that BIM provides. 3D massing within the building model makes these real-life studies possible, and allows bolder decisions in areas where ‘playing it safe’ may have meant green aims were sacrificed in the past.
These requirements are based around the end user and the energy and water footprint of the building at completion but there is also a physical requirements listing phase that this construction software helps with.
Physical requirements – materials listing
Inputting some basic information into your building information modelling system at the start of a project can completely automate material calculations. Freedom from the tedious work of materials calculation frees up resources to spend on green design and fulfilling the environmental standards and requirements of the project owners.
Building information modelling may also help you determine whether less toxic or resource-intensive and recycled or reclaimed materials will be suitable in a particular area of a project. Confirming the strength and suitability of recycled materials before final design and material ordering gives confidence, accuracy and improved control to the construction process.
Sources: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=12638619
