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.