Developing a BIM-Based Methodology to Support Renewable Energy Assessment of Buildings
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CARDIFF SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING Developing a BIM-based methodology to support renewable energy assessment of buildings Apeksha Gupta [email protected] September 2013 THIS THESIS IS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PhD) Cardiff School of Engineering Cardiff, Wales, UK Developing a BIM-based methodology to support renewable energy assessment of buildings DECLARATION This work has not been submitted in substance for any other degree or award at this or any other university or place of learning, nor is being submitted concurrently in candidature for any other degree or other award. Signed: Apeksha Gupta (candidate) Date: STATEMENT 1 This thesis is being submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of PhD. Signed: Apeksha Gupta (candidate) Date: STATEMENT 2 This thesis is the result of my own independent work/investigation, except where otherwise stated. Other sources are acknowledged by explicit references. The views expressed are my own. Signed: Apeksha Gupta (candidate) Date: STATEMENT 3 I hereby give consent for my thesis, if accepted, to be available for photocopying and for inter-library loan, and for the title and summary to be made available to outside organisations. Signed: Apeksha Gupta (candidate) Date: DECLARATION | iii Developing a BIM-based methodology to support renewable energy assessment of buildings ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS “Karmanye Vadhikaraste, Ma phaleshou kada chana, Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhurmatey Sangostva Akarmani” – Sanskrit verse from the Hindu scripture Bhagawad Gita The literal translation of this verse is “You have the right to perform your actions, but you are not entitled to the fruits of the actions. Do not let the fruit be the purpose of your actions, and therefore you won’t be attached to not doing your duty.” This verse has taught me to perform my duties without worrying about the outcome. I’ve always interpreted this as ‘Don’t chase success, if you work with diligence then success will follow you’. This thesis has been done likewise with utmost diligence, however, would have not been possible without the support and effort of many people. I would especially like to thank Christina Hopfe and Yacine Rezgui for their kind support as supervisors. Without Christina’s regular feedback and encouragement this thesis would not have seen the light of day. I would like to thank my colleagues at Building Research Establishment (BRE) Wales and South West for giving me a work opportunity during the course of the PhD. This thesis been financially supported through funding by the BRE Trust and the Technology Strategy Board and I am indebted to them. I would also like to mention and thank Hoang Ong for being patient with me as a tutor in Java programming. I would also like to thank Tracy Sweet from Cardiff University for opening up her home in the late hours of the evening for survey as well as countless meetings regarding the performance and prediction of the monitored data from her installed PV system. I would also like to thank my examiners, Alan Kwan and Arto Kiviniemi, for reviewing my thesis. During the course of this PhD, I have come into contact with many professionals I would like to thank for supporting this research namely; Nick Tune, Jonny Williams, Howard Nicholls, Deborah Pullen, Nick Nisbet, Jakob Beetz, Jeff Stevens, Keith Snook, Steve Pester, Gary Clark, Simon Reed, Ant Wilson, Rob McLeod, Tom Beach, Vicki Stevenson and Toby Rollason. A special thanks to my colleagues at BRE Wales and South West; Colin King, Andy Sutton, Caroline Weeks, Mike Williams, Elizabeth Locke, Zane Ulhaq, Janette Matthews, Martin Brockelsby, Daniel Black, Kelvin Jones, Stuart Chalmers, Nick Beddoe, Jelena Kiselova, Zsofia Nagi and Nicholas Humes, for creating a very supportive work environment. I would like to thank my parents and my little sister Karishma. Without their encouragement, love and support, I wouldn’t have reached so far in my career. I would also like to thank my partner Anish Oberoi, for putting up with me and my mood swings throughout these three years. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS | iv Developing a BIM-based methodology to support renewable energy assessment of buildings When you’re far away from home, the support of your friends keeps you going as they act as your second family. I’m very thankful to Sanjay, Amrita and Ranjit for all their support and advice. Also thankful for my rock solid friends; Shriya, Prerna, Jay, Jayesh, Yashika and Dipti for understanding and encouraging me all along and bearing with me for not keeping in touch regularly. I made really good friends as I studied and lived in the UK; Jasneet, Krutika, Sandeep, Candice, Krishma, Hiren, Hardik, Saket, Joyce, Hiren and Prachi. Also Vinay and Jyoti, Tarun and Kanika, Ashish and Ambika, and my current flatmates Stephen Upham and Alina Baranova. Thank you for all the house parties and conversations over cocktails. Special thanks to all the friends I made at Cardiff University, Catherine, Tala, Toby, James, Rhodri, Angharad, Jonny, Kate and many more from the cake club. A special mention goes to my dear friend Alexandra Cemesova without her moral support, cooked dinners and company during conferences and social events, this thesis would not have been possible. Ďakujem vám! “Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshwara, Guru Sakshat Parabrahma, Tsmai Shri Guruve Namaha” The translation of this Sanskrit verse is – “A teacher like Lord Brahma generates the knowledge within us, like Lord Vishnu he directs the ideas/knowledge in our mind on the right path, and like Lord Shiva he destroys the wrong concepts attached to our knowledge, while enlightening us on the desired path. Thus the teacher is like our ultimate God and we should pray and give respect to our teacher.” I have always given my mentors an important place in my life. I would specially like to thank, Christina Hopfe and Jonny Williams, who always supported me, solved my problems and guided me in case I lost focus. I would also like to mention my MSc dissertation supervisor Dr. Matthew Hall who always believed I would be good at pursuing a PhD. There are a few other mentors, Chitra Vishwanath, S Vishwanath and Kamu Iyer, I would like to thank and mention, without their initial support I wouldn’t have reached so far. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS | v Developing a BIM-based methodology to support renewable energy assessment of buildings SUMMARY Realising the benefits of implementing Building Information Modelling (BIM) tools and processes on projects worldwide, the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry is rapidly moving towards BIM adoption. This calls for higher levels of interoperability amongst existing design and analysis tools used by various project team members. An approach to achieving higher levels of BIM maturity and interoperability is to adopt open, non-proprietary data exchange standards such as the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC). Efforts are currently underway to establish IFC-compliance in analysis tools. Establishing interoperability between architectural BIM models and energy analysis tools has been a challenging effort. With the industry chasing renewable energy targets for existing and new building stock, it becomes imperative to incorporate analysis tools for renewable energy systems (RES) in this effort. A plethora of tools are used by the project team to assess the performance of various RES in existing buildings or in post-design stages of new buildings. A holistic RES simulation tool is required that can assess various RES and their impact on the building’s energy consumption, carbon emissions and operational costs. Developing this tool’s interoperability with architectural BIM models would lead to higher adoption. The aim of this thesis is to develop a methodology to support renewable energy simulation by using architectural BIM models based on open data exchange standards thereby enhancing their interoperability. The research process involved a literature review of the existing RES analysis methods and approaches of developing IFC-compliant analysis tools. A methodology was developed that involved a standardised conceptual framework that can be used to establish compliance in RES analysis tools with open-data exchange schemas. The conceptual framework was implemented in a solar PV simulation model by means of a prototype. The prototype was validated against existing PV analysis tools and presented to industry experts to gain their feedback. It was concluded that the tool supported RES assessment of buildings in early design stages and could be widely adopted as a BIM tool by the AEC industry. SUMMARY | vi Developing a BIM-based methodology to support renewable energy assessment of buildings LIST OF PUBLICATIONS The following conference papers are published by the author: Gupta, A.,Hopfe, C. J. and Rezgui, Y. 2011. A low-energy retrofit study of an off-gas Welsh village using renewable energy simulation combined with the UK Standard Assessment Procedure. In: 12th Conference of International Building Performance Simulation Association. Sydney, Australia. Gupta, A.,Hopfe, C. J. and Rezgui, Y. 2011. Building integrated vegetation as an energy conservation measure applied to non-domestic building typology in the UK. In: 12th Conference of International Building Performance Simulation Association. Sydney, Australia. Gupta, A.,Hopfe, C. J. and Rezgui, Y. 2012. BIM and Solar PV modelling In: ECPPM 2012-eWork and eBusiness in Architecture, Engineering and Construction. London. Taylor & Francis Group. Gupta, A., Cemesova, A., Hopfe, C.J., Rezgui, Y., Sweet, T. 2013. Development of a solar PV simulation tool compatible with the Industry Foundation Classes. In: 13th Conference of International Building Performance Simulation Association. Chambery. The author is currently involved in publishing the following journal publications: Gupta, A., Cemesova, A., Hopfe, C.J., Rezgui, Y., Sweet, T. 2013. A conceptual framework to support solar PV simulation using an open-BIM data exchange standard. Submitted to Automation in Construction journal.