Designing Buildings - User contributions [en]

Envenio Launches BIM & CFD Survey

2018-07-19T12:48:17Z

Envenio: Created page with "Engineering software developer, [http://envenio.com/ Envenio], has launched an online BIM (Building Information Modeling) and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) Survey. The 5-6 ..."

Engineering software developer, [http://envenio.com/ Envenio], has launched an online BIM (Building Information Modeling) and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) Survey.

The 5-6 minute survey has been designed to collect baseline data directly from industry, and aims to find out more about BIM and the role for CFD in building design and HVAC system optimisation.

“The results will enable us to better understand how BIM and CFD tools are being used, and identify new areas where they could be used” says Scott Walton, VP of Envenio.

Respondents will be automatically entered into a prize draw to win $500 worth of compute time on Envenio’s cloud hosted, on-demand CFD platform [http://envenio.com/exnaero/ EXN/Aero].

Advances in both BIM and CFD technology have enabled complicated building models to be digitally constructed with precise geometry and accurate information to support the project construction, fabrication, analysis and procurement activities. Mapping 3D flow patterns, evaluating occupant thermal comfort, and predicting contaminant dispersion are just some of the reasons more and more in the built environment have been turning to CFD as a general purpose flow simulator, and engineers are using CFD to trial new design ideas at low cost or to identify problems with existing systems during retrofits. The survey will ask questions about existing BIM and CFD use, identifying current attitudes and perceptions, training and usability issues, and costs.

Results from the survey will be shared in September.

The survey can be accessed by [https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/9LGLQJS clicking here].

[[Category:Projects_and_case_studies]] [[Category:DCN_Project_Knowledge]] [[Category:Research_/_Innovation]] [[Category:DCN_Research,_Development_and_Innovation]] [[Category:Construction_management]] [[Category:Construction_techniques]] [[Category:Design]]

Integrating CFD into the design process

2018-04-30T14:06:35Z

Envenio:

With 97 of the top 100 industrial companies on the “[http://fortune.com/global500/ FORTUNE Global 500]” investing in simulation as a key strategy to solve a range of engineering challenges, it's clear computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has much to offer. In 2018, sustainable building design has never been more important, with architects seeking ways to integrate technology in the design and build of more energy efficient structures. Despite the role CFD can play in in increasing sustainability, limitations and perceptions currently restrict its wider adoption, particularly among architects and consultants working in SMEs where budgets and resources may not be as expansive.

Modern CFD tools like cloud-hosted [http://blog.envenio.com/free-cfd-solver-tria EXN/Aero], are making strides to address the void and to highlight the huge advantages to integrating high performance software for overcoming challenges - particularly within HVAC designs. In this article, we highlight how CFD can be integrated into the design process, where it can be applied, the common barriers and how these are being addressed, and the opportunities it can bring to those working in the sector.

=== Common Applications ===

CFD has become well known for the integral role it plays in the aerospace and automotive industries, yet it offers huge potential to facilitate improvements to a number of applications in the built environment and HVAC sectors. The table below shows some of the most common uses of simulation in the sustainable building industry and where it can be used to best effect.

=== Common Pains in the Built Environment ===

* Buildings above 10 stories require wind studies. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-21633206 Recent cases] have shown the importance of understanding a building's impact on the local micro-climate and environment, as well as highlighting the dangers if due processes are not followed.
* Some government agencies are now mandating BIM studies.
* Hand calculations are often impractical and time-consuming.
* Some physical phenomena cannot be calculated by hand or with calculators - notably passive HVAC and buoyancy driven phenomena.
* Higher end or LEED certification processes don't currently have a streamlined process of achieving their specifications.

CFD in the Design Process

While every design project is different, there remains a clear goal to create a sustainable design fit for purpose, within a set budget and timeframe.

At present, simulation is often performed at the end of the process and while this still facilitates design improvements, the use of CFD in the early stages could potentially prevent late design changes that prove costly and extend project timeframes.

When integrated into the workflow, CFD can bring huge benefits particularly when working with challenging and complex HVAC environments. The hesitation to use CFD can be attributed to one or more of the common barriers listed below.

=== Overcoming Common Barriers to Using CFD ===

* While CFD simulation offers many advantages to those working with complex HVAC challenges, there are also barriers to overcome. Below, we highlight the most common barriers and highlight how our CFD simulation platform, is overcoming circumventing these issues.
* Time: Time is of the essence in the built environment and there's lots of iterating involved with building designs often changing on a daily or even hourly basis on the request of engineering contractors, clients, HVAC designers or architects. Multiple-day simulations are of no use, so speedy turn-around times are vital. Modern CFD tools use GPUs to finish simulations in hours instead of days. Faster simulation turnaround times mean you can react to ever-changing requests and iterate quicker on designs.
* Cost: Every day brings fresh challenges to businesses in the built sector, and as such it's often impractical to commit to software licenses and the large price tags they often bring. Modern tools use a pay-as-you-go approach meaning you can access CFD tools on-demand with no commitment which helps optimize cash flow.
* Ease of Use: Architects and designers want simplicity. They don't have the time to take weeks and months learning to use a complicated system, and want CFD tools to complement their work rather than add barriers. There's also a perception that CFD tools have been purely in the realm of experienced simulation engineers.
* Dynamic: Models are in the hands of architects, engineers and HVAC contractors, and are constantly changing. This can make it particularly difficult to simulate the right space - hence the number of iterations are high. A CFD tool that can work quickly and produce these iterations to optimize the final design is essential.
* Resource Limitation: Contractors are often operating under heavy workloads and as such are sometimes too busy to run the simulations themselves. Vendors are working hard to offer a range of engineering services to support you and your team.
* Complexity: Designs have a lot of features and intricacies which aren't necessary in a CFD simulation. Geometry cleanup needs to be fast.
* Simplification: While designers have the ability to run a simulation correctly in the BIM suite, they aren't necessarily trained in running CFD and require the process to be simple.
* Personas: In many cases, BIM users are artists and designers while CFD has been reserved or outsourced to engineers. The perception that CFD can only be performed and understood by engineers has largely contributed to this, and a more integrated relationship between all parties would lead to higher quality conversations and informed decision-making. Despite the advantages provided by CFD software applications, they are not always fully integrated within the BIM process. Surprisingly, BIM models of architectural spaces are often not utilized as the object domain in a CFD simulation, despite the advantages and insight that could be provided.
* Lack of Integration with BIM Tools: Despite the advantages provided by CFD software applications, they are not always fully integrated within the BIM process. Surprisingly, BIM models of architectural spaces are often not utilized as the object domain in a CFD simulation, despite the advantages and insight that could be provided.
* CFD Technology & Terminology: In many cases, there remains a lack of understanding in the built environment when it comes to CFD. This is mostly due to the fact that its use is occasional so no one is using it on a constant basis. What is a volume mesh? What are boundary conditions? Overall, the learning curve needs to be short and vendors need to facilitate training and education accordingly.
* Value Proposition: There remains a lack of understanding of the value CFD can bring to designs. Higher quality results and an easier parametric sweep to assess best design parameters would address this issue.

=== Opportunities with CFD ===

Overall, CFD has the potential to provide a number of key opportunities to architects, consultants, designers, manufacturers, and all those working in the built environment. These include:

* Better thermal comfort for occupants
* Reduced project times
* Increased value and marketability for firms
* Decreased HVAC design changes
* Reduced risk of lawsuit and easier compliance of health & safety guidelines
* Improve customer satisfaction
* Justify recommendations
* Showcase engineering quality
* Reduce capital equipment needed to manage airflow in a space
* Greater marketability & potential to win pitches through greater assets

[[Category:Construction_techniques]] [[Category:Design]]

Integrating CFD into the design process

2018-04-30T14:06:10Z

Envenio:

With 97 of the top 100 industrial companies on the “[http://fortune.com/global500/ FORTUNE Global 500]” investing in simulation as a key strategy to solve a range of engineering challenges, it's clear computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has much to offer. In 2018, sustainable building design has never been more important, with architects seeking ways to integrate technology in the design and build of more energy efficient structures. Despite the role CFD can play in in increasing sustainability, limitations and perceptions currently restrict its wider adoption, particularly among architects and consultants working in SMEs where budgets and resources may not be as expansive.

Modern CFD tools like cloud-hosted [http://blog.envenio.com/free-cfd-solver-tria EXN/Aero], are making strides to address the void and to highlight the huge advantages to integrating high performance software for overcoming challenges - particularly within HVAC designs. In this article, we highlight how CFD can be integrated into the design process, where it can be applied, the common barriers and how these are being addressed, and the opportunities it can bring to those working in the sector.

=== Common Applications ===

CFD has become well known for the integral role it plays in the aerospace and automotive industries, yet it offers huge potential to facilitate improvements to a number of applications in the built environment and HVAC sectors. The table below shows some of the most common uses of simulation in the sustainable building industry and where it can be used to best effect.

[[w/index.php?title=W/index.php%3Ftitle%3DSpecial:Upload%26wpDestFile%3DScreen_Shot_2018-04-11_at_16.26.22.png%3Ft%3D1525088171265%26width%3D939%26height%3D293%26name%3DScreen_Shot_2018-04-11_at_16.26.22.png&action=edit&redlink=1|939px]]Common Pains in the Built Environment

* Buildings above 10 stories require wind studies. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-21633206 Recent cases] have shown the importance of understanding a building's impact on the local micro-climate and environment, as well as highlighting the dangers if due processes are not followed.
* Some government agencies are now mandating BIM studies.
* Hand calculations are often impractical and time-consuming.
* Some physical phenomena cannot be calculated by hand or with calculators - notably passive HVAC and buoyancy driven phenomena.
* Higher end or LEED certification processes don't currently have a streamlined process of achieving their specifications.

CFD in the Design Process

While every design project is different, there remains a clear goal to create a sustainable design fit for purpose, within a set budget and timeframe.

At present, simulation is often performed at the end of the process and while this still facilitates design improvements, the use of CFD in the early stages could potentially prevent late design changes that prove costly and extend project timeframes.

When integrated into the workflow, CFD can bring huge benefits particularly when working with challenging and complex HVAC environments. The hesitation to use CFD can be attributed to one or more of the common barriers listed below.

=== Overcoming Common Barriers to Using CFD ===

* While CFD simulation offers many advantages to those working with complex HVAC challenges, there are also barriers to overcome. Below, we highlight the most common barriers and highlight how our CFD simulation platform, is overcoming circumventing these issues.
* Time: Time is of the essence in the built environment and there's lots of iterating involved with building designs often changing on a daily or even hourly basis on the request of engineering contractors, clients, HVAC designers or architects. Multiple-day simulations are of no use, so speedy turn-around times are vital. Modern CFD tools use GPUs to finish simulations in hours instead of days. Faster simulation turnaround times mean you can react to ever-changing requests and iterate quicker on designs.
* Cost: Every day brings fresh challenges to businesses in the built sector, and as such it's often impractical to commit to software licenses and the large price tags they often bring. Modern tools use a pay-as-you-go approach meaning you can access CFD tools on-demand with no commitment which helps optimize cash flow.
* Ease of Use: Architects and designers want simplicity. They don't have the time to take weeks and months learning to use a complicated system, and want CFD tools to complement their work rather than add barriers. There's also a perception that CFD tools have been purely in the realm of experienced simulation engineers.
* Dynamic: Models are in the hands of architects, engineers and HVAC contractors, and are constantly changing. This can make it particularly difficult to simulate the right space - hence the number of iterations are high. A CFD tool that can work quickly and produce these iterations to optimize the final design is essential.
* Resource Limitation: Contractors are often operating under heavy workloads and as such are sometimes too busy to run the simulations themselves. Vendors are working hard to offer a range of engineering services to support you and your team.
* Complexity: Designs have a lot of features and intricacies which aren't necessary in a CFD simulation. Geometry cleanup needs to be fast.
* Simplification: While designers have the ability to run a simulation correctly in the BIM suite, they aren't necessarily trained in running CFD and require the process to be simple.
* Personas: In many cases, BIM users are artists and designers while CFD has been reserved or outsourced to engineers. The perception that CFD can only be performed and understood by engineers has largely contributed to this, and a more integrated relationship between all parties would lead to higher quality conversations and informed decision-making. Despite the advantages provided by CFD software applications, they are not always fully integrated within the BIM process. Surprisingly, BIM models of architectural spaces are often not utilized as the object domain in a CFD simulation, despite the advantages and insight that could be provided.
* Lack of Integration with BIM Tools: Despite the advantages provided by CFD software applications, they are not always fully integrated within the BIM process. Surprisingly, BIM models of architectural spaces are often not utilized as the object domain in a CFD simulation, despite the advantages and insight that could be provided.
* CFD Technology & Terminology: In many cases, there remains a lack of understanding in the built environment when it comes to CFD. This is mostly due to the fact that its use is occasional so no one is using it on a constant basis. What is a volume mesh? What are boundary conditions? Overall, the learning curve needs to be short and vendors need to facilitate training and education accordingly.
* Value Proposition: There remains a lack of understanding of the value CFD can bring to designs. Higher quality results and an easier parametric sweep to assess best design parameters would address this issue.

=== Opportunities with CFD ===

Overall, CFD has the potential to provide a number of key opportunities to architects, consultants, designers, manufacturers, and all those working in the built environment. These include:

* Better thermal comfort for occupants
* Reduced project times
* Increased value and marketability for firms
* Decreased HVAC design changes
* Reduced risk of lawsuit and easier compliance of health & safety guidelines
* Improve customer satisfaction
* Justify recommendations
* Showcase engineering quality
* Reduce capital equipment needed to manage airflow in a space
* Greater marketability & potential to win pitches through greater assets

[[Category:Construction_techniques]] [[Category:Design]]

Sustainable building design through CFD and BIM integration

2018-04-30T14:04:48Z

Envenio:

Recent years have seen an increase in the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) software, a trend that has changed the working methods of the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. BIM has played an essential role in increasing collaboration among multi-discipline professions, making cost savings and reducing timeframes, facilitating smarter construction and fabrication, and facilities management. In this article, we explore the importance of sustainable building design as a key concern, and identify how BIM-compatible computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can optimize performance further, particularly during complex and challenging scenarios.

=== Sustainability in the Built Environment ===

Sustainability has been a major issue in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry for some time, especially in light of rising concerns around climate change. Azhar and Brown (2009) concluded that the best opportunities for improving building environmental performances occur in the early design or pre-construction stages. Despite this, architects have tended to analyze building performance in the latter stages, often outsourcing these services to an external engineering consultant. A number of factors can be attributed to this decision including a lack of suitable methods for architects and a perception of complex modelling and input knowledge required to run an accurate simulation.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) brings major value to the AEC industry, particularly when it comes to complex HVAC requirements including:

* Creating optimal thermal comfort for occupants
* Reducing capital equipment needed to manage airflow
* Factoring in outside heat for passive heating scenarios
* Evaluating building wind loading
* Understanding acoustic pathways and noise sources
* Increasing health & safety compliance
* Managing contamination risk in sensitive areas such as clean-rooms
* Improving output of crops in indoor agricultural settings

Read more about how CFD is [http://blog.envenio.com/builtcfd playing a key role in the built environment] and [http://blog.envenio.com/buildingcfd bridging the gap between architecture and engineering].

[[File:Or-perspective1-velocity-z-yz-6.png?t=1525088171265&width=640&height=360&name=or-perspective1-velocity-z-yz-6.png|link=File:Or-perspective1-velocity-z-yz-6.png?t=1525088171265&width=640&height=360&name=or-perspective1-velocity-z-yz-6.png]]

Fig.1 CFD simulation being used in a challenging operating room environment.

=== Better Integration in the Design Process ===

Despite the importance of sustainability in the built environment, efficiency gaps often remain in the overall design process. This is perhaps unsurprising, with an architectural design process divided into multiple stages and a variety of interested parties often working independently in their area of expertise. In many cases, architectural design data is not centrally managed among all project departments and the ability to execute any major changes can therefore be time consuming and impractical due to communication or knowledge gaps.

Over recent years, the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_project_delivery Integrated Project Delivery (IPD)] has been promoted as a new design process concept to address these areas of inefficiency. Essentially, IPD optimizes the architectural design process in which stakeholders including owners or designers actually cooperate and communicate throughout all stages of the design project.

To fully realize IPD, designers have adopted the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) - a standard information model that hosts lifecycle data of the facility, to be utilized for the various simulations relating to architectures. There are a number of BIM tools available with simulation capability varying among each application. The information consisted in a BIM model can be directly extracted for building performance analysis simulation in high performance CFD tools like EXN/Aero, where optimization of the modelling and simulation process as well as output performances can take place. Using a reliable and high performance simulation tool is particularly important when simulating complex environments such as cleanrooms, indoor agricultural facilities, grow rooms and LEED certified buildings, where acquiring a thorough understanding of the flow inside or around a structure can prove particularly challenging.

Thanks to BIM and CFD technology, complicated building modeling can be digitally constructed with precise geometry and accurate information to support the project construction, fabrication, analysis and procurement activities. Both BIM and CFD have the potential to provide the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry with extensive building data resulting in a more effective design process, increased accuracy in project cost estimation, a reduction in project time, and more energy efficient structures.

=== Barriers to BIM/CFD Integration ===

Despite the advantages provided by CFD software applications, they are not always fully integrated within the BIM process. Surprisingly, BIM models of architectural spaces are often not utilized as the object domain in a CFD simulation, despite the advantages and insight that could be provided.

A number of contributing reasons are at play here including:

* A perception remains around the complexity of CFD and its results, with many thinking CFD tools are purely for engineers.
* CFD is still not fully understood by many, so architects and designers may be reluctant to use simulation tools.
* The cost of traditional CFD resources have made running simulations expensive.
* More complex simulations have traditionally taken too long to produce results.
* Complex software tools have made the learning curve too steep or time-consuming.
* Engineers and architects are working separately rather than collaborating.

=== Overcoming Barriers to BIM/CFD Integration ===

One of the critical challenges in implementing BIM-based sustainability analyses is the lack of well-defined transactional process models and practical strategies for integration of information. Despite researchers investigating BIM-based analysis workflow according to various design development stages, there is no standard guideline for BIM-based modelling - especially for indoor environmental performance evaluation. This (combined with the challenges facing the CFD industry specifically) in fact hinders the adoption of BIM-based sustainability analyses in the AEC industry. More efforts are required from the industry as a whole to further develop framework and guidelines for BIM-based design and analysis process in order to achieve comfortable indoor environments and energy-efficient buildings.

The cloud has helped BIM and CFD tools to make great strides in their accessibility and usability by all in the built environment. This has already helped to overcome some of the barriers that prevent full BIM/CFD integration. The on-demand nature of such tools provides freedom away from expensive and restrictive license agreements.

Modern CFD tools are user-friendly for designers and architects too, not requiring advanced mathematical calculations or advanced engineering knowledge. Of course, an overall understanding of the process is useful and important so vendors provide ongoing support and training services like Envenio's Onboarding Program, whereby users are guided through the platform during a live project.

=== Collaboration, Integration and an Open Mind ===

To reach the goal of more sustainable building development, engineers, architects and designers should work closely throughout the entire design process, remaining open minded to the use of BIM and CFD tools as a way of quickly understanding environmental challenges. This close relationship and an integrated BIM/CFD process will allow all parties to acquire a full understanding of available input data and required simulation output.

=== References ===

Azhar, S. and J. Brown, 2009. BIM for sustainability analyses.

McGHC, 2012. The Business Value of BIM. in North America-Multi-Year Trend Analysis and User Ratings (2007-2012).

Schlueter, A. and F. Thesseling, 2009. Building information model based energy performance assessment in early design stages.

[[Category:Projects_and_case_studies]] [[Category:Health_and_safety_/_CDM]] [[Category:Regulations]] [[Category:Standards_/_measurements]] [[Category:Construction_management]] [[Category:Construction_techniques]] [[Category:Design]] [[Category:Products_/_components]]

Integrating CFD into the design process

2018-04-30T13:56:02Z

Envenio:

With 97 of the top 100 industrial companies on the “[http://fortune.com/global500/ FORTUNE Global 500]” investing in simulation as a key strategy to solve a range of engineering challenges, it's clear computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has much to offer. In 2018, sustainable building design has never been more important, with architects seeking ways to integrate technology in the design and build of more energy efficient structures. Despite the role CFD can play in in increasing sustainability, limitations and perceptions currently restrict its wider adoption, particularly among architects and consultants working in SMEs where budgets and resources may not be as expansive.

Modern CFD tools like cloud-hosted [http://blog.envenio.com/free-cfd-solver-tria EXN/Aero], are making strides to address the void and to highlight the huge advantages to integrating high performance software for overcoming challenges - particularly within HVAC designs. In this article, we highlight how CFD can be integrated into the design process, where it can be applied, the common barriers and how these are being addressed, and the opportunities it can bring to those working in the sector.

=== Common Applications ===

CFD has become well known for the integral role it plays in the aerospace and automotive industries, yet it offers huge potential to facilitate improvements to a number of applications in the built environment and HVAC sectors. The table below shows some of the most common uses of simulation in the sustainable building industry and where it can be used to best effect.

[[w/index.php?title=Special:Upload&wpDestFile=Screen_Shot_2018-04-11_at_16.26.22.png%3Ft%3D1525088171265%26width%3D939%26height%3D293%26name%3DScreen_Shot_2018-04-11_at_16.26.22.png|939px]]Common Pains in the Built Environment

* Buildings above 10 stories require wind studies. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-21633206 Recent cases] have shown the importance of understanding a building's impact on the local micro-climate and environment, as well as highlighting the dangers if due processes are not followed.
* Some government agencies are now mandating BIM studies.
* Hand calculations are often impractical and time-consuming.
* Some physical phenomena cannot be calculated by hand or with calculators - notably passive HVAC and buoyancy driven phenomena.
* Higher end or LEED certification processes don't currently have a streamlined process of achieving their specifications.

CFD in the Design Process

While every design project is different, there remains a clear goal to create a sustainable design fit for purpose, within a set budget and timeframe.

At present, simulation is often performed at the end of the process and while this still facilitates design improvements, the use of CFD in the early stages could potentially prevent late design changes that prove costly and extend project timeframes.

When integrated into the workflow, CFD can bring huge benefits particularly when working with challenging and complex HVAC environments. The hesitation to use CFD can be attributed to one or more of the common barriers listed below.

=== Overcoming Common Barriers to Using CFD ===

While CFD simulation offers many advantages to those working with complex HVAC challenges, there are also barriers to overcome. Below, we highlight the most common barriers and highlight how our CFD simulation platform, is overcoming circumventing these issues.

* Time: Time is of the essence in the built environment and there's lots of iterating involved with building designs often changing on a daily or even hourly basis on the request of engineering contractors, clients, HVAC designers or architects. Multiple-day simulations are of no use, so speedy turn-around times are vital. Modern CFD tools use GPUs to finish simulations in hours instead of days. Faster simulation turnaround times mean you can react to ever-changing requests and iterate quicker on designs.

* Cost: Every day brings fresh challenges to businesses in the built sector, and as such it's often impractical to commit to software licenses and the large price tags they often bring. Modern tools use a pay-as-you-go approach meaning you can access CFD tools on-demand with no commitment which helps optimize cash flow.

* Ease of Use: Architects and designers want simplicity. They don't have the time to take weeks and months learning to use a complicated system, and want CFD tools to complement their work rather than add barriers. There's also a perception that CFD tools have been purely in the realm of experienced simulation engineers.

* Dynamic: Models are in the hands of architects, engineers and HVAC contractors, and are constantly changing. This can make it particularly difficult to simulate the right space - hence the number of iterations are high. A CFD tool that can work quickly and produce these iterations to optimize the final design is essential.

* Resource Limitation: Contractors are often operating under heavy workloads and as such are sometimes too busy to run the simulations themselves. Vendors are working hard to offer a range of engineering services to support you and your team.
* Complexity: Designs have a lot of features and intricacies which aren't necessary in a CFD simulation. Geometry cleanup needs to be fast.
* Simplification: While designers have the ability to run a simulation correctly in the BIM suite, they aren't necessarily trained in running CFD and require the process to be simple.
* Personas: In many cases, BIM users are artists and designers while CFD has been reserved or outsourced to engineers. The perception that CFD can only be performed and understood by engineers has largely contributed to this, and a more integrated relationship between all parties would lead to higher quality conversations and informed decision-making. Despite the advantages provided by CFD software applications, they are not always fully integrated within the BIM process. Surprisingly, BIM models of architectural spaces are often not utilized as the object domain in a CFD simulation, despite the advantages and insight that could be provided.
* Lack of Integration with BIM Tools: Despite the advantages provided by CFD software applications, they are not always fully integrated within the BIM process. Surprisingly, BIM models of architectural spaces are often not utilized as the object domain in a CFD simulation, despite the advantages and insight that could be provided.
* CFD Technology & Terminology: In many cases, there remains a lack of understanding in the built environment when it comes to CFD. This is mostly due to the fact that its use is occasional so no one is using it on a constant basis. What is a volume mesh? What are boundary conditions? Overall, the learning curve needs to be short and vendors need to facilitate training and education accordingly.
* Value Proposition: There remains a lack of understanding of the value CFD can bring to designs. Higher quality results and an easier parametric sweep to assess best design parameters would address this issue.

=== Opportunities with CFD ===

Overall, CFD has the potential to provide a number of key opportunities to architects, consultants, designers, manufacturers, and all those working in the built environment. These include:

* Better thermal comfort for occupants
* Reduced project times
* Increased value and marketability for firms
* Decreased HVAC design changes
* Reduced risk of lawsuit and easier compliance of health & safety guidelines
* Improve customer satisfaction
* Justify recommendations
* Showcase engineering quality
* Reduce capital equipment needed to manage airflow in a space
* Greater marketability & potential to win pitches through greater assets

[[Category:Construction_techniques]] [[Category:Design]]

CFD - Bridging the gap between architecture and engineering

2018-04-30T13:53:13Z

Envenio:

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) can play an integral role in all areas of building design providing accurate and time-efficient predictions of building performance relating to air flow, temperature, pressure, and other similar parameters.

In this article, we explore the benefits of computational fluid dynamics software as a design assistance tool and identify where it is actively bridging the gap between architecture and engineering, particularly for architects, HVAC engineers and those in the construction sector who wish to better optimize building designs.

Understanding how natural phenomena affects buildings, particularly internal and external airflows, is an increasingly important element of architectural design. This is largely due to the increasing complexity of contemporary buildings and a growing interest in improving building performance in terms of the environmental impact (Kaijima et al., 2013).

CFD has proven to be a key factor for performance enhancement in a number of areas from Formula 1 to the development of swimwear, and the benefits experienced by many industries are now being felt by those in the construction sector, ideal for modeling:

* the thermal comfort of occupants
* distribution of environmental conditions within a space
* effectiveness of natural ventilation (including the stack effect)
* heat losses through exterior walls or glass
* effectiveness of air inlets, extractors, radiators
* build up of heat in key spaces
* positioning of sensors to detect heat or cooling
* positioning of major HVAC equipment
* wind loading and forces imposed on a building
* the impact of a new building on air movement around a site

Traditionally, CFD had many barriers including hefty licenses, large hardware and power requirements, and an intrinsic understanding of the equations involved. Today, vendors have worked to create high performance solutions (like our own EXN/Aero) that can be accessed on-demand, with a pay-as-you-use model, intuitive code and simple GUI.

=== Validating the Building Design Process ===

As the range of computational fluid dynamics applications continues to increase, new techniques have been introduced that facilitate its use in both architectural engineering and HVAC (heating ventilating and air conditioning) design (Zhang et al., 2009).

CFD software is used widely for evaluating the indoor environment of a building as well as it’s interaction with the building envelope.

The [https://www.aia.org/ AIA (American Institute of Architects)] says design and construction projects typically involve several phases, or the 'five phases of design'. During the first stage, a variety of vital decisions are made and discussions regarding the requirements of the project are carried out. This is a key part of the design process and often involves stakeholders laying out their clear expectations. Once the object has been defined, the next step is to create schematic designs. It is during this phase that study drawings, documents, and other media are created to illustrate the concepts of the design. It is also during this phase that CFD is often typically employed, calculating airflows in and around the buildings. Based on calculated results, decisions can be made as to whether the design needs to be modified. These steps are often repeated to ensure indoor and outdoor environmental conditions are satisfactory (Glicksman & Link, 2006), and to inform decisions made by architects and designers.

Affordable and accessible CFD tools are providing greater flexibility to architects during the design process, enabling them to simulate designs for validation purposes throughout the whole process, rather than simply the schematic design stage. This can only be a positive development for all involved, ensuring the end design is the very best it can be.

=== Preparing for Natural Weather Events ===

In addition to being responsible for a large number of deaths each year, natural disasters and weather events such as cyclones, earthquakes and landslides have a considerable impact on a country's economy, mostly due to the need for disaster aid and building recovery.

The effects of these weather events on buildings cannot be understated with serious consequences such as roof failures not uncommon (Morrison & Kopp, 2011). Aerodynamic loads on the roof and walls of a low building are characterized by the interaction of wind flow with the surface of the building and this interaction depends primarily on the building geometry and flow characteristics (Stathopoulos, 1984). Traditionally, engineers and architects have rarely considered such factors, instead focusing purely on the design or structural stages of a building design such as walls, overhangs, foundation and roofing.

Managing the huge risk to buildings from wind requires a high level of information on the type and magnitude of wind loads likely to be faced. This information has traditionally been gathered through a combination of full-scale measurements and wind tunnel tests that can prove both costly and time-consuming. For this reason, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods provide a useful tool for predicting turbulent flow over buildings, informing decisions and influencing design. As CFD becomes more accessible, architects and engineers have the ability to simulate the flow field around a building and successfully predict parameters of interest including velocity, pressure, and temperature fields. This could contribute hugely to preparing buildings for natural disasters and reducing repair costs in the wake of such occurrences.

=== HVAC System Optimization ===

CFD simulation is important in the design and optimization of sensitive HVAC environments, as explored in a [http://blog.envenio.com/hvaccfd recent article]. It is particularly useful for performance prediction, providing key HVAC design parameter information, validating design parameters, and modifying malfunctioning HVAC systems. A number of industries have specific HVAC requirements with two examples being that of the [http://blog.envenio.com/cleanroomcfd cleanroom] and a [http://blog.envenio.com/cfdcannabis medicinal cannabis grow facility.]

More and more, HVAC engineers are moving to CFD to compute airflow patterns and space temperatures based on complete 3D geometries, resulting in a greater level of accuracy. Examples of HVAC CFD analysis in practice include:

* Industrial ventilation design
* Swimming pool ventilation
* General office/room simulations
* Fume hood design
* Contamination in a sensitive zone
* Room pressurization
* Effective smoke evacuation in smoking lounges
* Fire and exhaust simulations in tunnels or parking garages
* Thermal assessment of data centers and server rooms
** Smoke and fire propagation simulations and implementation of fire safety in occupant structures

[[File:Concert_HVAC-1.png?t=1525088171265&width=848&height=477&name=Concert_HVAC-1.png|848px|link=File:Concert_HVAC-1.png?t=1525088171265&width=848&height=477&name=Concert_HVAC-1.png]]Fig. 1 - A HVAC Simulation of a Concert Hall

=== An Alternative to Wind Tunnel Testing? ===

Wind tunnel testing has been employed extensively for industry and research applications over the past five decades. The debate as to whether CFD or wind tunnel testing is the best course of action for architects lives on, with both methods providing a certain degree of knowledge and understanding of the environment in which the design exists.

Wind tunnel testing requires a costly setup and sophisticated instruments to measure a range of field variables (wind velocity, pressure loads, turbulence intensity etc). Its main limitation is that such measurements are obtained at only a few select points within the test section, severely restricting overall understanding of the evolutionary or transient processes of unsteady complex phenomena (such as vortex shredding, turbulence wakes, and thermal stratification). In addition, wind tunnel testing can often present a dangerous or impractical challenge to those concerned.

According to Wainwright and Mulligan (2004), CFD offers a wealth of advantages compared to wind tunnel testing. In addition to generating full-scale simulations (rather than scale models of many physical simulations), it also provides more extensive data that can be measured in the lab. Its results can also be visualized clearly. With CFD, you can run large parameter sets of 50 simulations at a time in a single working day to evaluate a set of different designs or wind angles on the building.

In addition, physical safety concerns and practical limitations are clearly eradicated.

=== CFD as a Marketing Tool ===

While this may not seem immediately obvious, architects and engineers can use CFD simulation resources as a powerful marketing tool to secure clients and stand out from the competition.

On-demand, pay-as-you-go tools such as [http://envenio.com/exnaero/ EXN/Aero] have enabled architects and engineers to access CFD only when they need it, rather than paying for costly licenses traditionally associated with this area of computing. This means consultants can include simulation software in their tender pitches, only paying for it should they win the pitch. Affordable simulation software also enables architects to provide impressive visualizations for potential clients, reduce overall project costs and limit timescales.

=== Conclusion: Overcoming Limitations ===

Architects, consultants and engineers in the building performance field have turned to CFD design and engineering techniques due to the detailed information provided through the design process. The flexible and interactive design environment lends itself to the design decision making process, just as it has in the aerospace and automotive sectors.

Affordable, accessible CFD applications have encouraged more architects and non-CFD experts to embrace simulation. While this has many positives, a number of which are addressed in this article, some concerns remain about user knowledge and experience, particularly where simulation results inform vital decisions.

Vendors are addressing these concerns by creating intuitive platforms that are generally easy to use, and providing training and support to educate and inform those wishing to benefit. It is not practical for architects and those in the building profession to become extensively trained in the intrinsic particulars of CFD engineering, and vendors must develop code and solutions that combine high performance credentials with an efficient learning protocol.

Envenio has created the [http://blog.envenio.com/discoprojectcfd Discovery Project] and [http://blog.envenio.com/press/cfdobprogram Onboarding Program] to further assist those without CFD experience.

=== References: ===

Adamu, Zulfikar A., Malcolm J. Cook, and Andrew DF Price. “[https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14733315.2011.11683954 Natural Personalised Ventilation-A Novel Approach.]” International Journal of Ventilation.

Glicksman, L., & Lin, J. (2006). "Sustainable Urban Housing: Alliance for Global Sustainability".

Kaijima, S. (2013). "Computational Fluid Dynamics for Architectural Design".

Kim., D. (2013. "The Application of CFD to Building Analysis and Design".

Morrison, M., & Kopp, G. (2011). "Performance of connections under realistic wind loading".

Stathopoulos, T. (1997). "Computational Wind Engineering: Past Achievements & Future Challenges".

Wainwright, J. & Mulligan, M. (2004). "Environmental Modelling".

Zhang, L.P., & Wang, Z.J. (2004). "A block LU-SGS implicit dual time-stepping algorithm for hybrid dynamic meshes".

[[Category:Education]] [[Category:Projects_and_case_studies]] [[Category:Health_and_safety_/_CDM]] [[Category:Planning_permission]] [[Category:Standards_/_measurements]] [[Category:Sustainability]] [[Category:Construction_management]] [[Category:Construction_techniques]] [[Category:Design]]

File:Concert HVAC-1.png?t=1525088171265&width=848&height=477&name=Concert HVAC-1.png

2018-04-30T13:38:27Z

Envenio: CFD Simulation of a Concert Hall

CFD Simulation of a Concert Hall

CFD - Bridging the gap between architecture and engineering

2018-04-30T13:37:19Z

Envenio: Created page with "Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) can play an integral role in all areas of building design providing accurate and time-efficient predictions of building performance relating to..."

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) can play an integral role in all areas of building design providing accurate and time-efficient predictions of building performance relating to air flow, temperature, pressure, and other similar parameters.

In this article, we explore the benefits of computational fluid dynamics software as a design assistance tool and identify where it is actively bridging the gap between architecture and engineering, particularly for architects, HVAC engineers and those in the construction sector who wish to better optimize building designs.

Understanding how natural phenomena affects buildings, particularly internal and external airflows, is an increasingly important element of architectural design. This is largely due to the increasing complexity of contemporary buildings and a growing interest in improving building performance in terms of the environmental impact (Kaijima et al., 2013).

CFD has proven to be a key factor for performance enhancement in a number of areas from Formula 1 to the development of swimwear, and the benefits experienced by many industries are now being felt by those in the construction sector, ideal for modeling:

* the thermal comfort of occupants
* distribution of environmental conditions within a space
* effectiveness of natural ventilation (including the stack effect)
* heat losses through exterior walls or glass
* effectiveness of air inlets, extractors, radiators
* build up of heat in key spaces
* positioning of sensors to detect heat or cooling
* positioning of major HVAC equipment
* wind loading and forces imposed on a building
* the impact of a new building on air movement around a site

Traditionally, CFD had many barriers including hefty licenses, large hardware and power requirements, and an intrinsic understanding of the equations involved. Today, vendors have worked to create high performance solutions (like our own EXN/Aero) that can be accessed on-demand, with a pay-as-you-use model, intuitive code and simple GUI.

Validating the Building Design Process

As the range of computational fluid dynamics applications continues to increase, new techniques have been introduced that facilitate its use in both architectural engineering and HVAC (heating ventilating and air conditioning) design (Zhang et al., 2009).

CFD software is used widely for evaluating the indoor environment of a building as well as it’s interaction with the building envelope.

The [https://www.aia.org/ AIA (American Institute of Architects)] says design and construction projects typically involve several phases, or the 'five phases of design'. During the first stage, a variety of vital decisions are made and discussions regarding the requirements of the project are carried out. This is a key part of the design process and often involves stakeholders laying out their clear expectations. Once the object has been defined, the next step is to create schematic designs. It is during this phase that study drawings, documents, and other media are created to illustrate the concepts of the design. It is also during this phase that CFD is often typically employed, calculating airflows in and around the buildings. Based on calculated results, decisions can be made as to whether the design needs to be modified. These steps are often repeated to ensure indoor and outdoor environmental conditions are satisfactory (Glicksman & Link, 2006), and to inform decisions made by architects and designers.

Affordable and accessible CFD tools are providing greater flexibility to architects during the design process, enabling them to simulate designs for validation purposes throughout the whole process, rather than simply the schematic design stage. This can only be a positive development for all involved, ensuring the end design is the very best it can be.

Preparing for Natural Weather Events

In addition to being responsible for a large number of deaths each year, natural disasters and weather events such as cyclones, earthquakes and landslides have a considerable impact on a country's economy, mostly due to the need for disaster aid and building recovery.

The effects of these weather events on buildings cannot be understated with serious consequences such as roof failures not uncommon (Morrison & Kopp, 2011). Aerodynamic loads on the roof and walls of a low building are characterized by the interaction of wind flow with the surface of the building and this interaction depends primarily on the building geometry and flow characteristics (Stathopoulos, 1984). Traditionally, engineers and architects have rarely considered such factors, instead focusing purely on the design or structural stages of a building design such as walls, overhangs, foundation and roofing.

Managing the huge risk to buildings from wind requires a high level of information on the type and magnitude of wind loads likely to be faced. This information has traditionally been gathered through a combination of full-scale measurements and wind tunnel tests that can prove both costly and time-consuming. For this reason, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods provide a useful tool for predicting turbulent flow over buildings, informing decisions and influencing design. As CFD becomes more accessible, architects and engineers have the ability to simulate the flow field around a building and successfully predict parameters of interest including velocity, pressure, and temperature fields. This could contribute hugely to preparing buildings for natural disasters and reducing repair costs in the wake of such occurrences.

HVAC System Optimization

CFD simulation is important in the design and optimization of sensitive HVAC environments, as explored in a [http://blog.envenio.com/hvaccfd recent article]. It is particularly useful for performance prediction, providing key HVAC design parameter information, validating design parameters, and modifying malfunctioning HVAC systems. A number of industries have specific HVAC requirements with two examples being that of the [http://blog.envenio.com/cleanroomcfd cleanroom] and a [http://blog.envenio.com/cfdcannabis medicinal cannabis grow facility.]

More and more, HVAC engineers are moving to CFD to compute airflow patterns and space temperatures based on complete 3D geometries, resulting in a greater level of accuracy. Examples of HVAC CFD analysis in practice include:

* Industrial ventilation design
* Swimming pool ventilation
* General office/room simulations
* Fume hood design
* Contamination in a sensitive zone
* Room pressurization
* Effective smoke evacuation in smoking lounges
* Fire and exhaust simulations in tunnels or parking garages
* Thermal assessment of data centers and server rooms
** Smoke and fire propagation simulations and implementation of fire safety in occupant structures

[[File:Concert%20HVAC-1.png?t=1525088171265&width=848&height=477&name=Concert%20HVAC-1.png|848px]]Fig. 1 - A HVAC Simulation of a Concert Hall

An Alternative to Wind Tunnel Testing?

Wind tunnel testing has been employed extensively for industry and research applications over the past five decades. The debate as to whether CFD or wind tunnel testing is the best course of action for architects lives on, with both methods providing a certain degree of knowledge and understanding of the environment in which the design exists.

Wind tunnel testing requires a costly setup and sophisticated instruments to measure a range of field variables (wind velocity, pressure loads, turbulence intensity etc). Its main limitation is that such measurements are obtained at only a few select points within the test section, severely restricting overall understanding of the evolutionary or transient processes of unsteady complex phenomena (such as vortex shredding, turbulence wakes, and thermal stratification). In addition, wind tunnel testing can often present a dangerous or impractical challenge to those concerned.

According to Wainwright and Mulligan (2004), CFD offers a wealth of advantages compared to wind tunnel testing. In addition to generating full-scale simulations (rather than scale models of many physical simulations), it also provides more extensive data that can be measured in the lab. Its results can also be visualized clearly. With CFD, you can run large parameter sets of 50 simulations at a time in a single working day to evaluate a set of different designs or wind angles on the building.

In addition, physical safety concerns and practical limitations are clearly eradicated.

CFD as a Marketing Tool

While this may not seem immediately obvious, architects and engineers can use CFD simulation resources as a powerful marketing tool to secure clients and stand out from the competition.

On-demand, pay-as-you-go tools such as [http://envenio.com/exnaero/ EXN/Aero] have enabled architects and engineers to access CFD only when they need it, rather than paying for costly licenses traditionally associated with this area of computing. This means consultants can include simulation software in their tender pitches, only paying for it should they win the pitch. Affordable simulation software also enables architects to provide impressive visualizations for potential clients, reduce overall project costs and limit timescales.

Conclusion: Overcoming Limitations

Architects, consultants and engineers in the building performance field have turned to CFD design and engineering techniques due to the detailed information provided through the design process. The flexible and interactive design environment lends itself to the design decision making process, just as it has in the aerospace and automotive sectors.

Affordable, accessible CFD applications have encouraged more architects and non-CFD experts to embrace simulation. While this has many positives, a number of which are addressed in this article, some concerns remain about user knowledge and experience, particularly where simulation results inform vital decisions.

Vendors are addressing these concerns by creating intuitive platforms that are generally easy to use, and providing training and support to educate and inform those wishing to benefit. It is not practical for architects and those in the building profession to become extensively trained in the intrinsic particulars of CFD engineering, and vendors must develop code and solutions that combine high performance credentials with an efficient learning protocol.

Envenio has created the [http://blog.envenio.com/discoprojectcfd Discovery Project] and [http://blog.envenio.com/press/cfdobprogram Onboarding Program] to further assist those without CFD experience.

References:

Adamu, Zulfikar A., Malcolm J. Cook, and Andrew DF Price. “[https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14733315.2011.11683954 Natural Personalised Ventilation-A Novel Approach.]” International Journal of Ventilation.

Glicksman, L., & Lin, J. (2006). "Sustainable Urban Housing: Alliance for Global Sustainability".

Kaijima, S. (2013). "Computational Fluid Dynamics for Architectural Design".

Kim., D. (2013. "The Application of CFD to Building Analysis and Design".

Morrison, M., & Kopp, G. (2011). "Performance of connections under realistic wind loading".

Stathopoulos, T. (1997). "Computational Wind Engineering: Past Achievements & Future Challenges".

Wainwright, J. & Mulligan, M. (2004). "Environmental Modelling".

Zhang, L.P., & Wang, Z.J. (2004). "A block LU-SGS implicit dual time-stepping algorithm for hybrid dynamic meshes".

[[Category:Education]] [[Category:Projects_and_case_studies]] [[Category:Health_and_safety_/_CDM]] [[Category:Planning_permission]] [[Category:Standards_/_measurements]] [[Category:Sustainability]] [[Category:Construction_management]] [[Category:Construction_techniques]] [[Category:Design]]

Sustainable building design through CFD and BIM integration

2018-04-30T13:33:48Z

Envenio:

Recent years have seen an increase in the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) software, a trend that has changed the working methods of the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. BIM has played an essential role in increasing collaboration among multi-discipline professions, making cost savings and reducing timeframes, facilitating smarter construction and fabrication, and facilities management. In this article, we explore the importance of sustainable building design as a key concern, and identify how BIM-compatible computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can optimize performance further, particularly during complex and challenging scenarios.

=== Sustainability in the Built Environment ===

Sustainability has been a major issue in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry for some time, especially in light of rising concerns around climate change. Azhar and Brown (2009) concluded that the best opportunities for improving building environmental performances occur in the early design or pre-construction stages. Despite this, architects have tended to analyze building performance in the latter stages, often outsourcing these services to an external engineering consultant. A number of factors can be attributed to this decision including a lack of suitable methods for architects and a perception of complex modelling and input knowledge required to run an accurate simulation.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) brings major value to the AEC industry, particularly when it comes to complex HVAC requirements including:

* Creating optimal thermal comfort for occupants
* Reducing capital equipment needed to manage airflow
* Factoring in outside heat for passive heating scenarios
* Evaluating building wind loading
* Understanding acoustic pathways and noise sources
* Increasing health & safety compliance
* Managing contamination risk in sensitive areas such as clean-rooms
* Improving output of crops in indoor agricultural settings

Read more about how CFD is [http://blog.envenio.com/builtcfd playing a key role in the built environment] and [http://blog.envenio.com/buildingcfd bridging the gap between architecture and engineering].

[[File:Or-perspective1-velocity-z-yz-6.png?t=1525088171265&width=640&height=360&name=or-perspective1-velocity-z-yz-6.png|link=File:Or-perspective1-velocity-z-yz-6.png?t=1525088171265&width=640&height=360&name=or-perspective1-velocity-z-yz-6.png]]

Fig.1 CFD simulation being used in a challenging operating room environment.

=== Better Integration in the Design Process ===

Despite the importance of sustainability in the built environment, efficiency gaps often remain in the overall design process. This is perhaps unsurprising, with an architectural design process divided into multiple stages and a variety of interested parties often working independently in their area of expertise. In many cases, architectural design data is not centrally managed among all project departments and the ability to execute any major changes can therefore be time consuming and impractical due to communication or knowledge gaps.

Over recent years, the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_project_delivery Integrated Project Delivery (IPD)] has been promoted as a new design process concept to address these areas of inefficiency. Essentially, IPD optimizes the architectural design process in which stakeholders including owners or designers actually cooperate and communicate throughout all stages of the design project.

To fully realize IPD, designers have adopted the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) - a standard information model that hosts lifecycle data of the facility, to be utilized for the various simulations relating to architectures. There are a number of BIM tools available with simulation capability varying among each application. The information consisted in a BIM model can be directly extracted for building performance analysis simulation in high performance CFD tools like EXN/Aero, where optimization of the modelling and simulation process as well as output performances can take place. Using a reliable and high performance simulation tool is particularly important when simulating complex environments such as cleanrooms, indoor agricultural facilities, grow rooms and LEED certified buildings, where acquiring a thorough understanding of the flow inside or around a structure can prove particularly challenging.

Thanks to BIM and CFD technology, complicated building modeling can be digitally constructed with precise geometry and accurate information to support the project construction, fabrication, analysis and procurement activities. Both BIM and CFD have the potential to provide the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry with extensive building data resulting in a more effective design process, increased accuracy in project cost estimation, a reduction in project time, and more energy efficient structures.

=== Barriers to BIM/CFD Integration ===

Despite the advantages provided by CFD software applications, they are not always fully integrated within the BIM process. Surprisingly, BIM models of architectural spaces are often not utilized as the object domain in a CFD simulation, despite the advantages and insight that could be provided.

A number of contributing reasons are at play here including:

* A perception remains around the complexity of CFD and its results, with many thinking CFD tools are purely for engineers.
* CFD is still not fully understood by many, so architects and designers may be reluctant to use simulation tools.
* The cost of traditional CFD resources have made running simulations expensive.
* More complex simulations have traditionally taken too long to produce results.
* Complex software tools have made the learning curve too steep or time-consuming.
* Engineers and architects are working separately rather than collaborating.

=== Overcoming Barriers to BIM/CFD Integration ===

One of the critical challenges in implementing BIM-based sustainability analyses is the lack of well-defined transactional process models and practical strategies for integration of information. Despite researchers investigating BIM-based analysis workflow according to various design development stages, there is no standard guideline for BIM-based modelling - especially for indoor environmental performance evaluation. This (combined with the challenges facing the CFD industry specifically) in fact hinders the adoption of BIM-based sustainability analyses in the AEC industry. More efforts are required from the industry as a whole to further develop framework and guidelines for BIM-based design and analysis process in order to achieve comfortable indoor environments and energy-efficient buildings.

The cloud has helped BIM and CFD tools to make great strides in their accessibility and usability by all in the built environment. This has already helped to overcome some of the barriers that prevent full BIM/CFD integration. The on-demand nature of such tools provides freedom away from expensive and restrictive license agreements. For example, EXN/Aero is available on an affordable pay-as-you-go subscription.

Modern CFD tools are user-friendly for designers and architects too, not requiring advanced mathematical calculations or advanced engineering knowledge. Of course, an overall understanding of the process is useful and important so vendors provide ongoing support and training services like Envenio's Onboarding Program, whereby users are guided through the platform during a live project.

=== Collaboration, Integration and an Open Mind ===

To reach the goal of more sustainable building development, engineers, architects and designers should work closely throughout the entire design process, remaining open minded to the use of BIM and CFD tools as a way of quickly understanding environmental challenges. This close relationship and an integrated BIM/CFD process will allow all parties to acquire a full understanding of available input data and required simulation output.

References

Azhar, S. and J. Brown, 2009. BIM for sustainability analyses.

McGHC, 2012. The Business Value of BIM. in North America-Multi-Year Trend Analysis and User Ratings (2007-2012).

Schlueter, A. and F. Thesseling, 2009. Building information model based energy performance assessment in early design stages.

[[Category:Projects_and_case_studies]] [[Category:Health_and_safety_/_CDM]] [[Category:Regulations]] [[Category:Standards_/_measurements]] [[Category:Construction_management]] [[Category:Construction_techniques]] [[Category:Design]] [[Category:Products_/_components]]

File:Or-perspective1-velocity-z-yz-6.png?t=1525088171265&width=640&height=360&name=or-perspective1-velocity-z-yz-6.png

2018-04-30T13:32:40Z

Envenio: Simulation of an Operating Room using EXN/Aero

Simulation of an Operating Room using EXN/Aero

Sustainable building design through CFD and BIM integration

2018-04-30T13:31:43Z

Envenio: Created page with "Recent years have seen an increase in the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) software, a trend that has changed the working methods of the Architecture, Engineering and ..."

Recent years have seen an increase in the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) software, a trend that has changed the working methods of the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. BIM has played an essential role in increasing collaboration among multi-discipline professions, making cost savings and reducing timeframes, facilitating smarter construction and fabrication, and facilities management. In this article, we explore the importance of sustainable building design as a key concern, and identify how BIM-compatible computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can optimize performance further, particularly during complex and challenging scenarios.

Sustainability in the Built Environment

Sustainability has been a major issue in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry for some time, especially in light of rising concerns around climate change. Azhar and Brown (2009) concluded that the best opportunities for improving building environmental performances occur in the early design or pre-construction stages. Despite this, architects have tended to analyze building performance in the latter stages, often outsourcing these services to an external engineering consultant. A number of factors can be attributed to this decision including a lack of suitable methods for architects and a perception of complex modelling and input knowledge required to run an accurate simulation.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) brings major value to the AEC industry, particularly when it comes to complex HVAC requirements including:

* Creating optimal thermal comfort for occupants
* Reducing capital equipment needed to manage airflow
* Factoring in outside heat for passive heating scenarios
* Evaluating building wind loading
* Understanding acoustic pathways and noise sources
* Increasing health & safety compliance
* Managing contamination risk in sensitive areas such as clean-rooms
* Improving output of crops in indoor agricultural settings

Read more about how CFD is [http://blog.envenio.com/builtcfd playing a key role in the built environment] and [http://blog.envenio.com/buildingcfd bridging the gap between architecture and engineering].

[[File:or-perspective1-velocity-z-yz-6.png?t=1525088171265&width=640&height=360&name=or-perspective1-velocity-z-yz-6.png|640px]]

Fig.1 CFD simulation being used in a challenging operating room environment.

Better Integration in the Design Process

Despite the importance of sustainability in the built environment, efficiency gaps often remain in the overall design process. This is perhaps unsurprising, with an architectural design process divided into multiple stages and a variety of interested parties often working independently in their area of expertise. In many cases, architectural design data is not centrally managed among all project departments and the ability to execute any major changes can therefore be time consuming and impractical due to communication or knowledge gaps.

Over recent years, the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_project_delivery Integrated Project Delivery (IPD)] has been promoted as a new design process concept to address these areas of inefficiency. Essentially, IPD optimizes the architectural design process in which stakeholders including owners or designers actually cooperate and communicate throughout all stages of the design project.

To fully realize IPD, designers have adopted the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) - a standard information model that hosts lifecycle data of the facility, to be utilized for the various simulations relating to architectures. There are a number of BIM tools available with simulation capability varying among each application. The information consisted in a BIM model can be directly extracted for building performance analysis simulation in high performance CFD tools like EXN/Aero, where optimization of the modelling and simulation process as well as output performances can take place. Using a reliable and high performance simulation tool is particularly important when simulating complex environments such as cleanrooms, indoor agricultural facilities, grow rooms and LEED certified buildings, where acquiring a thorough understanding of the flow inside or around a structure can prove particularly challenging.

Thanks to BIM and CFD technology, complicated building modeling can be digitally constructed with precise geometry and accurate information to support the project construction, fabrication, analysis and procurement activities. Both BIM and CFD have the potential to provide the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry with extensive building data resulting in a more effective design process, increased accuracy in project cost estimation, a reduction in project time, and more energy efficient structures.

Barriers to BIM/CFD Integration

Despite the advantages provided by CFD software applications, they are not always fully integrated within the BIM process. Surprisingly, BIM models of architectural spaces are often not utilized as the object domain in a CFD simulation, despite the advantages and insight that could be provided.

A number of contributing reasons are at play here including:

* A perception remains around the complexity of CFD and its results, with many thinking CFD tools are purely for engineers.
* CFD is still not fully understood by many, so architects and designers may be reluctant to use simulation tools.
* The cost of traditional CFD resources have made running simulations expensive.
* More complex simulations have traditionally taken too long to produce results.
* Complex software tools have made the learning curve too steep or time-consuming.
* Engineers and architects are working separately rather than collaborating.

Overcoming Barriers to BIM/CFD Integration

One of the critical challenges in implementing BIM-based sustainability analyses is the lack of well-defined transactional process models and practical strategies for integration of information. Despite researchers investigating BIM-based analysis workflow according to various design development stages, there is no standard guideline for BIM-based modelling - especially for indoor environmental performance evaluation. This (combined with the challenges facing the CFD industry specifically) in fact hinders the adoption of BIM-based sustainability analyses in the AEC industry. More efforts are required from the industry as a whole to further develop framework and guidelines for BIM-based design and analysis process in order to achieve comfortable indoor environments and energy-efficient buildings.

The cloud has helped BIM and CFD tools to make great strides in their accessibility and usability by all in the built environment. This has already helped to overcome some of the barriers that prevent full BIM/CFD integration. The on-demand nature of such tools provides freedom away from expensive and restrictive license agreements. For example, EXN/Aero is available on an affordable pay-as-you-go subscription.

Modern CFD tools are user-friendly for designers and architects too, not requiring advanced mathematical calculations or advanced engineering knowledge. Of course, an overall understanding of the process is useful and important so vendors provide ongoing support and training services like Envenio's Onboarding Program, whereby users are guided through the platform during a live project.

Collaboration, Integration and an Open Mind

To reach the goal of more sustainable building development, engineers, architects and designers should work closely throughout the entire design process, remaining open minded to the use of BIM and CFD tools as a way of quickly understanding environmental challenges. This close relationship and an integrated BIM/CFD process will allow all parties to acquire a full understanding of available input data and required simulation output.

References

Azhar, S. and J. Brown, 2009. BIM for sustainability analyses.

McGHC, 2012. The Business Value of BIM. in North America-Multi-Year Trend Analysis and User Ratings (2007-2012).

Schlueter, A. and F. Thesseling, 2009. Building information model based energy performance assessment in early design stages.

[[Category:Projects_and_case_studies]] [[Category:Health_and_safety_/_CDM]] [[Category:Regulations]] [[Category:Standards_/_measurements]] [[Category:Construction_management]] [[Category:Construction_techniques]] [[Category:Design]] [[Category:Products_/_components]]

Integrating CFD into the design process

2018-04-30T13:28:51Z

Envenio: Created page with "With 97 of the top 100 industrial companies on the “[http://fortune.com/global500/ FORTUNE Global 500]” investing in simulation as a key strategy to solve a range of engineer..."

With 97 of the top 100 industrial companies on the “[http://fortune.com/global500/ FORTUNE Global 500]” investing in simulation as a key strategy to solve a range of engineering challenges, it's clear computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has much to offer. In 2018, sustainable building design has never been more important, with architects seeking ways to integrate technology in the design and build of more energy efficient structures. Despite the role CFD can play in in increasing sustainability, limitations and perceptions currently restrict its wider adoption, particularly among architects and consultants working in SMEs where budgets and resources may not be as expansive.

Modern CFD tools like cloud-hosted [http://blog.envenio.com/free-cfd-solver-tria EXN/Aero], are making strides to address the void and to highlight the huge advantages to integrating high performance software for overcoming challenges - particularly within HVAC designs. In this article, we highlight how CFD can be integrated into the design process, where it can be applied, the common barriers and how these are being addressed, and the opportunities it can bring to those working in the sector.

Common Applications

CFD has become well known for the integral role it plays in the aerospace and automotive industries, yet it offers huge potential to facilitate improvements to a number of applications in the built environment and HVAC sectors. The table below shows some of the most common uses of simulation in the sustainable building industry and where it can be used to best effect.

[[File:Screen%20Shot%202018-04-11%20at%2016.26.22.png?t=1525088171265&width=939&height=293&name=Screen%20Shot%202018-04-11%20at%2016.26.22.png|939px]]Common Pains in the Built Environment

* Buildings above 10 stories require wind studies. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-21633206 Recent cases] have shown the importance of understanding a building's impact on the local micro-climate and environment, as well as highlighting the dangers if due processes are not followed.
* Some government agencies are now mandating BIM studies.
* Hand calculations are often impractical and time-consuming.
* Some physical phenomena cannot be calculated by hand or with calculators - notably passive HVAC and buoyancy driven phenomena.
* Higher end or LEED certification processes don't currently have a streamlined process of achieving their specifications.

CFD in the Design Process

While every design project is different, there remains a clear goal to create a sustainable design fit for purpose, within a set budget and timeframe.

At present, simulation is often performed at the end of the process and while this still facilitates design improvements, the use of CFD in the early stages could potentially prevent late design changes that prove costly and extend project timeframes.

When integrated into the workflow, CFD can bring huge benefits particularly when working with challenging and complex HVAC environments. The hesitation to use CFD can be attributed to one or more of the common barriers listed below.

Overcoming Common Barriers to Using CFD

While CFD simulation offers many advantages to those working with complex HVAC challenges, there are also barriers to overcome. Below, we highlight the most common barriers and highlight how our CFD simulation platform, is overcoming circumventing these issues.

* Time: Time is of the essence in the built environment and there's lots of iterating involved with building designs often changing on a daily or even hourly basis on the request of engineering contractors, clients, HVAC designers or architects. Multiple-day simulations are of no use, so speedy turn-around times are vital. Modern CFD tools use GPUs to finish simulations in hours instead of days. Faster simulation turnaround times mean you can react to ever-changing requests and iterate quicker on designs.

* Cost: Every day brings fresh challenges to businesses in the built sector, and as such it's often impractical to commit to software licenses and the large price tags they often bring. Modern tools use a pay-as-you-go approach meaning you can access CFD tools on-demand with no commitment which helps optimize cash flow.

* Ease of Use: Architects and designers want simplicity. They don't have the time to take weeks and months learning to use a complicated system, and want CFD tools to complement their work rather than add barriers. There's also a perception that CFD tools have been purely in the realm of experienced simulation engineers.

* Dynamic: Models are in the hands of architects, engineers and HVAC contractors, and are constantly changing. This can make it particularly difficult to simulate the right space - hence the number of iterations are high. A CFD tool that can work quickly and produce these iterations to optimize the final design is essential.

* Resource Limitation: Contractors are often operating under heavy workloads and as such are sometimes too busy to run the simulations themselves. Vendors are working hard to offer a range of engineering services to support you and your team.
* Complexity: Designs have a lot of features and intricacies which aren't necessary in a CFD simulation. Geometry cleanup needs to be fast.
* Simplification: While designers have the ability to run a simulation correctly in the BIM suite, they aren't necessarily trained in running CFD and require the process to be simple.
* Personas: In many cases, BIM users are artists and designers while CFD has been reserved or outsourced to engineers. The perception that CFD can only be performed and understood by engineers has largely contributed to this, and a more integrated relationship between all parties would lead to higher quality conversations and informed decision-making. Despite the advantages provided by CFD software applications, they are not always fully integrated within the BIM process. Surprisingly, BIM models of architectural spaces are often not utilized as the object domain in a CFD simulation, despite the advantages and insight that could be provided.
* Lack of Integration with BIM Tools: Despite the advantages provided by CFD software applications, they are not always fully integrated within the BIM process. Surprisingly, BIM models of architectural spaces are often not utilized as the object domain in a CFD simulation, despite the advantages and insight that could be provided.
* CFD Technology & Terminology: In many cases, there remains a lack of understanding in the built environment when it comes to CFD. This is mostly due to the fact that its use is occasional so no one is using it on a constant basis. What is a volume mesh? What are boundary conditions? Overall, the learning curve needs to be short and vendors need to facilitate training and education accordingly.
* Value Proposition: There remains a lack of understanding of the value CFD can bring to designs. Higher quality results and an easier parametric sweep to assess best design parameters would address this issue.

Opportunities with CFD

Overall, CFD has the potential to provide a number of key opportunities to architects, consultants, designers, manufacturers, and all those working in the built environment. These include:

* Better thermal comfort for occupants
* Reduced project times
* Increased value and marketability for firms
* Decreased HVAC design changes
* Reduced risk of lawsuit and easier compliance of health & safety guidelines
* Improve customer satisfaction
* Justify recommendations
* Showcase engineering quality
* Reduce capital equipment needed to manage airflow in a space
* Greater marketability & potential to win pitches through greater assets

[[Category:Construction_techniques]] [[Category:Design]]