Energy Efficiency in The Settlement Texture Through the Use of BIM

Abstract

In the emerging new and densely settled areas in Turkey, rapid construction and unplanned urbanization where energy efficiency approach is ignored, cause rapid destruction of natural environment and depletion of energy resources. In terms of economic and environmental aspects, the reduction of energy consumption is a matter of priority in the settlement texture design. The settlement texture is a significant design variable to control energy consumption. The dimensions of the buildings, their spacing (distance between buildings) and the arrangement of buildings with respect to one another are the design parameters which define the settlement texture. This study aims to determine the energy efficient settlement texture design parameters by the using Revit that software of BIM. In this context, the first step of the method of the study is to develop different settlement texture alternatives which benefit from the solar energy. In the second step, annual energy consumption for a selected residential building in the developed alternatives is calculated. Finally, calculated annual energy consumptions are analysed and the appropriate of the settlement texture design parameters in terms of energy efficiency are determined. As a result, this study is focused on determining the appropriate settlement texture in terms of energy efficiency by using BIM in order to take the right decisions in the design stage. According to the results of this limited studies with 48 different settlement textures, SF3-10-EW-0.5 achieved the lowest total energy consumption. However, in order to reach an acceptable general conclusion, similar studies should be analyzed for many alternatives.