Can you guarantee that the completed building will match the performance predicted by the analysis in its day-to-day operations?
No, you cannot guarantee that the completed building will match the performance predicted by the analysis in its day-to-day operations. One factor that could cause results to differ from the analysis is the expected building occupancy and actual building occupancy. If more or less people occupy a building than expected, it will have a major impact on the buildings performance. Additionally, if building contractors cut corners in the construction process, such as, poorly installing insulation, it could have a serious impact on the building.
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, it is also important to consider human comfort within the building in tandem with low energy use. If you design a building to be energy efficient in an extremely hot area by not installing AC and as a result the building is uninhabitable this is obviously a poor decision. Another example would be not installing windows in colder areas to reduce heat loss, which would have a serious effect on mental health if the buildings application was for something like an office building.
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?
Simulations that focus only on a 1 or 2 week time period would allow for a much greater amount of detail to be included. This is especially beneficial for highly complicated parts of the construction process that that are essential to fall in a particular sequence. Additionally, a simulation focusing on 1 or 2 weeks could be beneficial in a circumstance where subcontractors are only going to be onsite for a few weeks and need detailed information about what is going on at the job site during that time.