Integrating parametric analysis with building information modeling to improve energy performance of construction projects

Mohammad K. Najjar, Vivian W. Y. Tam, Leandro Torres Di Gregorio, Ana Catarina Jorge Evangelista, Ahmed W. A. Hammad, Assed Haddad

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

40 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Buildings demand a significant amount of energy during their life cycles, hence, effective design measures need to be adopted to ensure efficient energy usage and management in buildings. This study proposes a framework based on various performance parameters to enable decision-makers utilizing standard procedures and software to empower the process of sustainable energy use and management in buildings, through a parametric analysis in different climatic conditions. Experimental design is adopted within the framework via the use of various performance parameters related to the building design (i.e., construction materials for exterior walls and roofs, as well as a set of window-to-wall ratios). Results indicate that climate data plays a fundamental role in the choice of design factors that are best suited for effective energy consumption in buildings. In particular, sub-type climate classifications, as opposed to the primary climate group, have a minor influence. Around 15% improvement in the energy consumption in buildings is noticed due to changes to the design factor such as the window-to-wall ratio. Insights that can be gleaned from this study include the impact of space area, exterior openings and material thickness and choice for the envelope of the building in all climate classifications, aiding in the design of low-energy buildings.
Original languageEnglish
Article number1515
Number of pages22
JournalEnergies
Volume12
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Open Access - Access Right Statement

© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Keywords

  • building information modeling
  • building management
  • experimental design
  • sustainable construction

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