[BLDG-SIM] Architect's role in energy simulation

david bryan dbryan at amerindian.com
Fri Feb 14 08:34:09 PST 2003


To add some more comments to the discussion of the architect's role in the 
energy simulation process:

1. It seems to me that the architect must be the initiator 
of  energy-conscious design.  He/she has the contact with the building 
owner and is instrumental in determining what the priorities will be in 
allocating the money available for the project.  Energy conservation must 
be set at a very high priority at the start; there is never enough money to 
do everything.

2. In commercial buildings, the design is a product of the whole team of 
architects, engineers, speciality consultants and contractors.  The team of 
people with the right skills and experience must be assembled at the start 
to meet project design priories.  The architect does not need to do the 
simulations.  Smaller firms would probably not find it practical to have on 
staff an energy specialist who can maintain current knowledge of the 
field.  What is probably more important is good team communications and 
early involvement of the energy specialist(s) before many design decisions 
are made.  What is important is that the team members are all using 
compatible software.  Decisions effecting the building are continuously 
being made; digital information is flying around via shared web-sites or by 
e-mail.  The interaction between energy-conservative alternatives and 
building organization, exterior appearance, spacial quality, 
heating/cooling, lighting, acoustics, structure and construction cost are, 
as you know,  very complex. Each team member must be able to rapidly 
respond in his own area of expertise.  For better or worse, Autocad is the 
de facto standard.  To keep costs down, and accuracy, speed and efficiency 
up, energy simulation programs will need to import files that are initially 
created in Autocad.

3.  Although the architecture firm does not need to do in-house energy 
consumption simulations, the architectural project leader must be 
interested and knowledgeable in energy conservation.  He must have the 
enthusiasm to sustain a high level of energy-conscious priorities, and must 
be able to communicate well with the energy specialists and direct their 
efforts toward successful solutions.  This issue goes back to education.  I 
think architects fall into two broad categories: designers and organizers. 
Or to put it another way, if architecture is a combination of art and 
engineering, some people's skills are more on the art side, some on the 
engineering side, (bow ties versus pocket-protectors) Both categories are 
needed to create successful buildings.  From my experience, architectural 
education is currently pretty one-sided: it favors the bow ties at the 
expense of the pocket-protectors.  This situation is not good for the 
architecture profession; students who have worked 6 years to get a masters 
only have half the skills they need, have an unrealistic view of what type 
of work they will be doing and still require a lot of on-the job 
training.   This situation is unnecessary. I participated in a 
graduate-level program at MIT in the 1970's that focused on energy 
conservation, building simulation and materials research.  More educational 
focus on the technical aspects of making buildings is needed.

I apologize for writing so much.  Thanks for letting me get it off my chest.


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