Page 359 - Divyank Tyagi

Chapter 9

Conceptual Design and

Design Analysis

®
In this chapter, we will take a further look at the Autodesk Revit Architecture Conceptual
®
Design tools and how you can leverage them for sustainable design analysis. We’ll also explore
a few other tools, some of which use BIM geometry to support design analysis.
Most building design starts with some simple concepts and forms. Will the building be tall or
long? Curved or rectilinear? How will those shapes affect sustainable design concepts like solar
gain, daylighting, and energy consumption? To perform these kinds of analyses and explore the
initial ideas for building form, we use masses. In the last chapter, we discussed how to create
several kinds of massing. In this chapter, we’ll explore a new type and use that to generate some
sustainable design analysis.
In this chapter, you’ll learn to:

◆ ◆◆ Embrace energy analysis concepts
◆ ◆◆ Create a conceptual mass
◆ ◆◆ Prepare and export your model for energy analysis

Analysis for Sustainability

Environmentally thoughtful design strategies have been around for millennia, but the practice
of sustainable design with quantifiable metrics has seen substantial growth in the past decade.
Sustainable design practices can help address many issues, among them energy use, access
to natural daylight, human health and productivity, and resource conservation. One of the
principal goals of sustainable design is to reduce a building’s overall resource use. This can
be measured in the building’s carbon footprint (www.terrapass.com) or the net amount of
carbon dioxide emitted by a building through its energy use.
Before we delve into discussing any specific workflows involving BIM and sustainable
design analysis, it’s important to recognize that many concepts are both interdependent and
cumulative. The more sustainable methods you can incorporate into a project, the “greener” the
project becomes.
Take the example of building orientation, glazing, and daylighting. Designing your building
in the optimal orientation, using the right glass in the correct amount and location, and
integrating sunshading into the project to optimize the use of natural light all build on each
other. Using these three strategies together makes a building operate more efficiently while
allowing occupants access to plenty of natural light. The amount of usable daylight you might
capture will be greatly reduced with the application of highly reflective glass or if the building’s

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