Can you guarantee that the completed building will match the performance predicted by the analysis in its day-to-day operations?
You cannot guarantee that the completed building will match the performance predicted for a number of reasons. One of the main reasons is that a lot of assumptions are made in the prediction analysis, including how weather patterns will change in an area, the materials that will actually be used in the building, differences in how energy consumption metrics will actually be measured in the building once it is operating, and fluctuations in day-to-day operations over time.
When choosing settings for each of the building performance factors, should you always choose the setting that gives the absolute lowest predicted energy use?
No, when choosing settings for each of the building performance factors, the setting that gives the lowest predicted energy use is not always realistic and does not always align with other design goals. For example, in my building, the lowest predicted energy use would involve minimizing the western wall window-to-wall-ratio, but since it was intentionally part of the design to have huge windows on that side, I did not chose the setting with the lowest predicted energy use. In other events, it is also important to model for the cases in which what is necessary for the lowest possible energy use may not be available or feasible, like a certain type of window.
How can you use Insight feedback to make design choices regarding materials, lighting, PV, etc.?
Insight feedback helps make decisions about materials, lighting, PV etc. by demonstrating the marginal impacts of each decision. In my building, for example, the material used for insulating the walls and roofs almost did not matter at all in the overall energy consumption of the building. Seeing this Insight feedback would help make the choice to likely choose the best cost insulation material, as the energy consumption was virtually the same for all of them. In other cases, where there are huge marginal differences (like including both daylighting and occupancy controls), seeing this insight could help make the design choice to invest more initially on certain features that will greatly reduce energy consumption once the building is operating.
4D simulations are often used to show the construction sequence for an entire project, but shorter simulations that focus on a specific period of time are also useful.
- Can you provide examples of how a simulation that focuses on a 1 or 2 week period could be useful for planning?
What level of detail should be included in a 4D simulation?
- Should you include all of the elements in the building model?
How can the feedback shown in a 4D simulation help you to optimize the project schedule?
- What are the main benefits of linking model elements to the project schedule?
How can model-based quantity takeoff improve the design process?
How can designers improve their designs using the information provided by preliminary estimates of the cost of building their design ideas?