Adorabilis - building energy modeling framework for early stage retrofit design

Abstract

While the need to make existing buildings more energy-efficient continues to grow, current building energy modeling (BEM) tools do not support the early utilization of BEM as a design decision-making tool in the building retrofit process. This study reviews literature and state-of-the-art software to identify challenges and opportunities in developing BEM tools for early design stages. Conventional BEM workflows are assessed. They show a lack of consideration for retrofit projects in current BEM discussions, which makes it hard to accommodate building renovation and upgrade as a way to address sustainability. They also reflect a clear expectation of better interoperability within the software. Many practitioners cannot use these programs due to the lengthy manual data entry process, which is too slow and error-prone to be economically viable. A new framework for BEM is proposed in an effort to mitigate issues that prevent iterative use of BEM. Building energy standards are analyzed to be incorporated into the framework. A sample user-experience design is developed to reflect principles of said framework. Wireframes are created to illustrate major features with integrated functionality that support improved BEM workflow. The proposed specifications aims to streamline the early environmental design workflow for retrofit projects. Future software development can open the building energy modeling technology to a potential group of users currently excluded by unnecessary technical barriers.