An Inquisition of Envelope Fabric for Building Energy Performance Using Prominent BIM-BPS Tools—A Case Study in Sub-Tropical Climate

Abstract

Energy efficient building is enhancing a worldwide movement as a policy to lessen the carbon footprint. With the intention of zero energy building in sub-tropical climates, exertion should be placed to minimize the overall energy usage to the greatest scope by incorporating apposite construction skills into the whole design process. Suitable building envelope resources is one of the most effective ways to manage energy flows, minimize energy loss, and maintain a comfortable environment for occupants. In the present paper, a conventional building (Educational) in Hong Kong is considered and the goal is to identify and prioritize the potential energy saving opportunities through the implications of multiple envelopes (walls, windows, etc.) fabric using dynamic BIM-BPS process for potential retrofitting. A conceptual framework is proposed for comprehensive energy assessment using BIM (e.g. Revit 2019) and BPS tools (e.g. e-QUEST) to simulate the energy performance of the building. Using a calibrated model, several high performances envelop fabric are considered to perform a parametric investigation (e.g. walls, windows) through active simulation process. In order to achieve more realistic conditioning, an assumed occupancy profile also considered during the energy analysis. Results have shown that a significant saving of 11.45% in yearly entailed total building energy. The study can help with the decision-making analysis regarding future retrofitting opportunities in a sub-tropical climate.

Revisión sistemática de la literatura: aumento de la eficiencia energética de los edificios a través del retrofit en un enfoque BIM

“…A fachada, também caraterizada como envelope do edifício, costuma ser alvo de retrofit pois ela precisa ser adequada para atingir um desempenho superior já que está susceptível à luz, calor, ar e outros impactos (UDDIN et al, 2019). Yasar e Kalfa (2012) e Smith, Isaacs, Burgess e Cox (2012) apud Spiegelhalter et al (2014) apresentam que a alternativa mais comum de retrofit é a troca de vidros da fachada por vidros low-e 3 .…”

“…Algumas pesquisas utilizam na simulação um padrão genérico de período de uso e operação do edifício de acordo com a tipologia da edificação. Por isso que uma das causas comuns de erro das Simulações de Desempenho de Edifícios (Building Performance Simulation -BPS) é a informação sobre o comportamento das pessoas e quanto ao período de operação do edifício (UDDIN et al, 2019). Neste caso entrevista com os usuários do edifício contribuem com uma identificação mais completa (ASHRAE apud COULTER; DUBLER; LEICHT, 2013).…”

“…Existe uma faixa de tolerância de erros no processo de calibração que pode ser calculada por meio de fórmula apresentada na ASHARE (UDDIN et al, 2019). A pesquisa de Hamida et al (2020) teve um resultado simulado muito próximo do real com diferença somente de 1,1% de erro.…”

Review of the Building Information Modelling (BIM) Implementation in the Context of Building Energy Assessment

“…Kamaruzzaman et al [32], for example, identified key sustainability criteria set by various energy certification schemes, such as, for example, LEED, BREEAM, GREEN MARK, GBI, etc. Di Bari et al [33][34][35] investigated the ways of reducing environmental impacts and improving the overall performance of building concurrently with reducing the overall cost of operation and maintenance of buildings. They have found that this can be done by adopting the BIM-integrated LCA approach.…”

Revealing the Impacts of Passive Cooling Techniques on Building Energy Performance: A Residential Case in Hong Kong

“…The passive approaches, however, harness the internal environment conditions by taking advantage of the building design items, such as layout and form, rather than mechanical systems. The passive energy-saving solutions maximize the use of environmental sources, such as heating, cooling, ventilation, and lighting to create a comfortably built environment with a minimized energy demand [14][15][16]. Building envelop design can affect 20-60% of the building energy input, making it crucial for high-performance, sustainable buildings [17].…”