Can you guarantee that the completed building will match the performance predicted by the analysis in its day-to-day operations?
- Why or why not?
While we may not be able to perfectly calculate the every day performance and match it to its day-to-day, I believe it is possible to get very accurate results. I believe the accuracy of our estimations is going to be proportional to the amount of research we put into all the analysis and estimations how fine our calculations are. It is also worth researching the day-to-day performance of similar buildings.
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. Sometimes these settings might be unrealistic for a specific type of setting or building use. For instance, for an office or commercial building like the one we built for module 7, it would be unrealistic to choose the lowest plug load efficiency possible because there will be a very considerable amount of electronic equipment running at the same time. In very hot places like Arizona, you can’t have windows with very low levels of heat loss because it would make the place very undesirable to live or work at.
How can you use Insight feedback to make design choices regarding materials, lighting, PV, etc.?
Using Insight Feedback can allow to make more energy efficient choices based on the calculations and estimate that they provide. It can help in considering some material or design that have not been previously considered but that might be useful for the construction of the building. It can also help assess needs and facilitate calculations in regard to plug efficiency, lighting, and solar panel usage. Overall it is also a very simple, intuitive tool that provides a visual guidance which is easy to follow along, and can help reach energy goals in a less difficult way.
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?