Effective green building design assessment support using sequential multidisciplinary design optimization

Abstract

Green building (GB) represents a leading approach for promoting sustainable development, reducing environmental impact, and ensuring environmental responsibility across its entire life cycle. Many countries have recently developed rating systems and certification programs for GBs. Traditional GB assessment is conducted through manual and iterative procedures that entail numerous meetings and trials. Architects and engineers must thoroughly assess the interdependence of design variables to ensure compliance with assessment standards for feasible solutions in GB projects. This process could be complicated and error-prone, leading to potential cost implications. Therefore, there is a need to develop design support systems to generate feasible solutions for GBs effectively. This paper introduces an integrated assessment system for GB designs, employing a multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) methodology to efficiently generate solutions across various disciplines, adhering to assessment standards. Practical cases in Taiwan have been employed to assess and confirm the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed system concerning the design of building envelopes, air-conditioning systems, and artificial lighting systems. The primary advantages of the system include the rapid generation of multiple alternatives and the reduction of iterations in GB assessment by providing conflict-free solutions across various disciplines. The proposed system also offers estimated construction costs for each alternative. Designers can further explore the most cost-effective solutions through value analysis. This information can assist investors in making informed decisions. The proposed design support system shows great potential in accelerating the design process for green buildings by offering conflict-free alternatives and value-added information.