With the right tools at their disposal, project teams can gain important insight into the performance of their buildings, even at the earliest stages of design. This insight can radically improve energy efficiency, reduce duplicative work, and save time and money. We use and develop advanced technologies to help teams discover these insights early on so they can design buildings with optimal performance.
This paper is based on a technical report that was intended to provide the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Sustainability Office with a potential strategy to move the Point Grey Campus to carbon neutrality without the purchase of carbon offsets by 2030 and to recommend a green building rating system that would form part of... Read more »
Building performance monitoring has a great potential to reduce energy usage through improved operation and maintenance. Enhanced functioning, lower energy costs, better indoor air quality and overall design satisfaction are some of the key benefits. However, in order to achieve these goals, successful transfer of design intent is required through all stages of design process... Read more »
This research focuses on the factors that impact the carbon footprint of a residence hall building, particularly the steps and considerations required to achieve carbon neutrality. Beginning with a definition of what it means to be carbon neutral, the study dispels misconceptions and stresses the importance of carbon-conscious decision making throughout the life of a... Read more »
The operation and construction of buildings account for almost half of the energy use in the United States. To meet global climate change targets, energy consumption of buildings in the long term must be reduced as well as carbon dioxide emissions. This article explores a theoretical building envelope that generates energy and produces water by... Read more »
This article describes the importance of the effect of heat flow and moisture on the building’s exterior enclosure. It provides a basic understanding of the concerns of why understanding heat flow and moisture is important to the design of exterior walls, its basic physics and traditional, yet obsolete solutions. It provides a technique for making... Read more »
The “Cell Wall” is the iconic feature of the Shanghai Nature Museum and the main design feature from the initial competition phase. It is comprised of three layers, each with its own unique geometrical pattern and organic form, organized in an elliptical cone shape envelope of the atrium. At the core is the main layer,... Read more »
Designing energy efficient buildings requires an understanding of the energy impact of design features and how they interact with each other during the design process. This article outlines how and when an energy analysis can be conducted including guidelines for what to expect in an energy modeling analysis and how to interpret and understand the results. Guidance is... Read more »
This article discusses relationships between building performance simulations and design decisions and how building performance predictions can improve the design outcomes. The first part of the article discusses why we need to quantify building performance and predict how a building as a whole or its components will function. Then, relationships between Building Information Modeling (BIM) and analysis software... Read more »
Using analytic data as a driver to control the geometry of BIM elements is currently a promising method for parametric creation of design elements such as sun shades, which respond to environmental constraints such as incident solar radiation or solar angles. This can be done qualitatively, but evaluating multiple options with many variables is time... Read more »
It is well known that occupant behaviour is a factor that affects a building’s energy performance. While a good deal of study and research has been done on residential energy use, less research has focused on the behaviour of commercial office occupants. This paper explores how occupant engagement, coupled with a web-based energy challenge, can... Read more »
The objective of this paper is to provide some insight into how HVAC systems are changing to meet the drive towards lower energy usage. The paper is primarily focusing on trends, observed by the author in designs which have been highlighted in research journals and project work. A case study is provided which highlights how... Read more »
