building information models + green building design
Green building design attempts to control the biggest impact on the natural environment the built environment.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a metric that has been developed to measure the level of sustainability, or greenness, of a structure, acknowledges the owners commitment to green building, depending on the design and technologies implemented.
It is much more difficult to successfully build a green building after it has been designed rather than starting with specific goals in the concept stage. An experienced architect with local knowledge can help with the principles of green building design such as climate, orientation, site selection and material usage. While professionals can conceptualize these principles, clients often have trouble visualizing the final result.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) uses 3-D computer modelling to create a model of the topography of the site, trees, ocean, roads, building, pools, and other structures all at the actual latitude, longitude and altitude as it is in reality. This allows architects and engineers to collaborate on the design and analyse such things as the sun and shade of buildings orientations. More importantly, it can accurately allow clients to see what their investments will look like from the outside and what the view might be from the living room.
The Beach Club is a gathering place at Oil Nut Bay, Virgin Gorda, and the centre of the resort. It's visible from hillside and beachside villas as well as from the water and neighbouring islands. The ability to allow the owners to visualize what the structure would look like from every angle was very important as the design also had to be visually spectacular. In
this case, while simple in layout, it was complex in construction. A round, undulating, framed roof required specialengineered compression rings and framing members of exact lengths and angles for the roof to go together in a manner that was strong and beautiful.
In addition to having a striking design, the owners wanted to achieve LEED Platinum status. Roger Downing and Partner (RDP) used BIM to green the construction process by providing a model that would predict and determine factors that could affect the greenness of the building. Through site modelling, BIM showed how to reduce the disruption of land and hydrology. Modelled building components allowed RDP to reduce the material waste through prefabrication of modelled building components. By predicting a lot of the process ahead of time, BIM allows for less human error in construction which saves time, materials and energy. Lastly, the 3-D model illustrated how to take advantage of natural lighting and ventilation which reduces dependence on artificial lighting and air conditioning.
The Beach Club at Oil Nut Bay nears completion.
At the Beach Club, LEED Platinum status (the highest available) was achieved by optimising the impact of the building design, construction and operational requirements. Through the use of BIM technology, the architects, engineers and fabricators were able to design all the components and have them precisely fabricated before delivery to site for assembly. Most importantly, the client was able to visualise the project and all the details before construction started and
was able to make any necessary changes beforehand, thereby saving money on last-minute changes and allowing the contractor to provide a fixed budget.
Projects that are built as drawn, on time, and on budget are some of the additional benefits of Building Information Modelling design, allowing architects and owners to apply saved resources to implementing green materials and methods into their projects.
Article by Richard Finnegan reprinted from Property|Yacht magazine
http://bviguides.com/Domains/bvipropertyguide/editorial/building_information.html
credits T. Downing, Architect
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a metric that has been developed to measure the level of sustainability, or greenness, of a structure, acknowledges the owners commitment to green building, depending on the design and technologies implemented.
It is much more difficult to successfully build a green building after it has been designed rather than starting with specific goals in the concept stage. An experienced architect with local knowledge can help with the principles of green building design such as climate, orientation, site selection and material usage. While professionals can conceptualize these principles, clients often have trouble visualizing the final result.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) uses 3-D computer modelling to create a model of the topography of the site, trees, ocean, roads, building, pools, and other structures all at the actual latitude, longitude and altitude as it is in reality. This allows architects and engineers to collaborate on the design and analyse such things as the sun and shade of buildings orientations. More importantly, it can accurately allow clients to see what their investments will look like from the outside and what the view might be from the living room.
The Beach Club is a gathering place at Oil Nut Bay, Virgin Gorda, and the centre of the resort. It's visible from hillside and beachside villas as well as from the water and neighbouring islands. The ability to allow the owners to visualize what the structure would look like from every angle was very important as the design also had to be visually spectacular. In
this case, while simple in layout, it was complex in construction. A round, undulating, framed roof required specialengineered compression rings and framing members of exact lengths and angles for the roof to go together in a manner that was strong and beautiful.
In addition to having a striking design, the owners wanted to achieve LEED Platinum status. Roger Downing and Partner (RDP) used BIM to green the construction process by providing a model that would predict and determine factors that could affect the greenness of the building. Through site modelling, BIM showed how to reduce the disruption of land and hydrology. Modelled building components allowed RDP to reduce the material waste through prefabrication of modelled building components. By predicting a lot of the process ahead of time, BIM allows for less human error in construction which saves time, materials and energy. Lastly, the 3-D model illustrated how to take advantage of natural lighting and ventilation which reduces dependence on artificial lighting and air conditioning.
The Beach Club at Oil Nut Bay nears completion.
At the Beach Club, LEED Platinum status (the highest available) was achieved by optimising the impact of the building design, construction and operational requirements. Through the use of BIM technology, the architects, engineers and fabricators were able to design all the components and have them precisely fabricated before delivery to site for assembly. Most importantly, the client was able to visualise the project and all the details before construction started and
was able to make any necessary changes beforehand, thereby saving money on last-minute changes and allowing the contractor to provide a fixed budget.
Projects that are built as drawn, on time, and on budget are some of the additional benefits of Building Information Modelling design, allowing architects and owners to apply saved resources to implementing green materials and methods into their projects.
Article by Richard Finnegan reprinted from Property|Yacht magazine
http://bviguides.com/Domains/bvipropertyguide/editorial/building_information.html
credits T. Downing, Architect
