BIM integrated Renewable Energy Analysis

With the construction industry moving rapidly towards Building Information Modelling (BIM), it is essential that various analysis tools used in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) domain are interoperable with a non-proprietary data exchange standard such as the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC). Governments worldwide have committed to incorporate fully collaborative BIM in all public sector projects and are also targeting to achieve a zero-carbon building stock. This dual target will require the use of renewable energy system (RES) analysis tools in the early stages of the building design process and establish the need for these tools to be IFC compliant. This book captures the development of a methodology to support RES simulation by using architectural BIM models based on open data exchange standards thereby enhancing their interoperability. Various methods currently used in RES assessment and integrated BIM tools have been reviewed in this research. This book culminates with the idea of a prototype that can be used by architects for RES analysis in conceptual design stages which would facilitate decision making in creating zero-carbon buildings of the future.