VPL-based Code Compliance Checking for Building Envelope Design Using OTTV Calculation

Abstract

Building Envelope plays a vital role in reducing thermal loads, minimizing energy consumption, and ensuring sustainability. The Overall Thermal Transfer Value (OTTV) is a recognized method to evaluate the thermal performance of buildings. Building Information Modelling (BIM) has added great value to the AEC industry as an efficient tool to facilitate the building design process. With the development of BIM, more properties and material characteristics are assigned to the project design and building model that are getting more complex. Meanwhile, performing OTTV assessment and checking compliance with the assigned values involving time-consuming calculations with the possibility of ambiguity. Hence, automation of the code compliance checking process has become on-demand within the BIM environment. The objective is to develop a Visual Programming Language (VPL)-based script for automating the OTTV rule-based code compliance checking process. The applied method is to integrate BIM, VPL, and OTTV requirements; and develop a visual script that is responsible for extracting parameters from the BIM model, performing OTTV calculation, comparing output with assigned standard values of OTTV aiming answering the research question whether automated code compliance checking process can contribute to code compliance facilitation effectively. The results indicate that integrating VPL into the code compliance checking process has promising signs in facilitating the compliance checking process, increasing the accuracy and reliability of outcomes.