The ability to perform a whole building evaluation in terms of energy and water usage – in addition to carbon emissions - early on in the design process is vital in any ‘green’ building project. Building Information Modelling (BIM) is incredibly beneficial as it allows designers to make informed design decisions regarding geometry, spatial relationships, geographical information, quantities, and properties of building components utilising a centralised model. BIM, supported by the appropriate technology, has the potential to reduce the cost of sustainable design by making the information required for informed sustainable design solutions and analysis readily available as part of the evolving design process. Revit building produces drawings with the added advantage of parametric change technology, allowing for changes and consistency to be achieved throughout. Schedules can be produced directly from this central model, which makes possible material re-use, recycling, reduced waste inefficiency and other well-organised comparisons between design options.

Efficient specification management

The environmental impact of extracting, processing and transporting building materials makes careful selection an important aspect of sustainable design. Revit helps designers automate the co-ordination of project specifications.

Increased energy efficiency

Energy analysis is crucial to a building design strategy. Revit can provide detailed and reliable design information to help complete energy analysis early in the design cycle, enabling designers to make decisions about how the building is placed on a site and evaluate daylighting options for energy savings.

Supports Eco-design Principles:-

·       Understanding local climate, culture, and place

·       Understanding the type of building

·       Reducing the required consumption of resources

·       Using free/local resources and natural systems

·       Using man-made systems efficiently

·       Applying renewable energy generation technologies

·       Off-setting negative impacts

Using BIM for Energy Analysis

In order to transfer your project from a BIM tool to an energy analysis tool you have to export it as an industry-standard file format, gbXML (green building XML schema). This can be read by many energy modelling applications currently on the market. Revit can export this type of file and retains most project-specific properties such as location, building envelope, room volumes and model geometry.

The right tool to conduct the analysis can vary depending on your level of skill, ability to interpret results, time, and project stage.

Analysis Tools

IES - www.iesve.com - is a highly accurate and robust BIM compatible energy analysis tool. The software can run a large range of building environmental analyses including daylighting, energy usage and thermal performance.

Ecotect - www.ecotect.com - a great visual working platform that is easy to use with a full range of simulation and analysis functions including (amongst others) solar, thermal, acoustic, ventilation and airflow analysis.

Green Building Studio - www.greenbuildingstudio.com - is an online service that allows you to upload a gbXML file that is then analysed for free! This provides feedback on the building’s energy usage based on its type then loads and makes suggestions for improvements. This may not be as accurate as the other programs, as building detail is limited.

If you'd like to find out more about Ecotect, Jigsaw can arrange a demonstration. Just email the CAD team at cad@jigsaw24.com or call us on 03332 409 204!