Guidelines for Using Building Information Modeling (BIM) for Environmental Analysis of High-Performance Buildings

Abstract

Building Information Modeling (BIM) efficiently integrates environmental analysis into the design and delivery of high-performance buildings. Building Energy Modeling (BEM), a subset of BIM, employs various simulation tools for predicting the environmental performance of buildings. As the demand for high-performance buildings has increased, BEM has facilitated the delivery of buildings that meet expected performance requirements. The research objectives were to: 1) evaluate various BEM tools, and 2) develop guidelines for using BEM tools in design and delivery of high-performance buildings. Twelve BEM tools were evaluated using four criteria: interoperability, user-friendliness, available inputs, and available outputs. The top three programs (Autodesk Ecotect, Autodesk Green Building Studio, and IES ) were selected based on this evaluation. Each of these selected BEM tools was used in the case study to simulate energy consumption, daylighting performance, and natural ventilation for two buildings, one LEED certified and one non-LEED certified. The results of the case study were used to compare the environmental performance of the two buildings and to develop guidelines for using BEM tools to analyze building environmental performance.