Bu

uildin
ng Perform
mance
e Ana
alysis (BPA
A)
Building In
nformation Mod
deling (B
BIM) is an
a appro
oach to design
d
that uses
intelligent 3
3D comp
puter mo
odels to create,
c
m
modify,
share, and
d coordinate
info
ormation
n throughout the
e design process.. Many AEC
A firmss are usin
ng BIM to
drive a morre efficie
ent design processs.
In addition
a
to drivin
ng a morre efficient overa
all design
n processs, BIM is powerfu
ul
forr sustaina
able desiign beca
ause it ca
an help you
y iterattively tesst, analyzze, and
improve yo
our desig
gn. This iss called Building
B
g Perform
mance Analysis
A
(BP
PA). Whe
en used well, using BIM for
f building perfo
ormance
e analysiss can help
you
u design
n sustaina
ably.
Build
ding Inform
mation Mod
dels can bee
used
d to design, optimize, and visualize
a bu
uilding. Thiss is a visual rendering
g,
but this
t model might also
o be used fo
or
consstruction an
nd perform
mance analyysis.

Mod
dels are ap
pproximatio
ons of reality
All models are
e approxim
mations of reality. Und
derstandin
ng how to make
m
your building model
m
app
proximate physical
p
re
eality can help you cre
eate a high
her perform
ming building.
Stattistician Ge
eorge E.P. Box
B is quotted as sayiing: All models
m
are wrong, but some a
are useful.
The
e same goe
es for build
ding inform
mation mod
dels and the key is to make yo
our models as useful as
posssible. For e
example, a model is useful
u
if it is able to predict
p
futu
ure observvations, help control
futu
ure events, or explain
n past obse
ervations.
The
e "i" in BIM
M drives analysis
At the
t core off BIM is the
e information thats stored
s
in th
he model. All
A of this data
d
is storred and
refe
erenced in a back-end database
e that's an integral pa
art of the model.
m

BIM usess a
central
model th
hat
can be
extended
d for
multiple
purposess,
including
g
performa
anc
e analysis.

Thiss informatiion include

es the geom
metry of th
he project (shapes,
(
layout), the physical properties of
o
the materials (wall consttructions, thermal
t
pro
operties, viisual prope
erties), the type of the spaces in
n
the building, and
a schedu
ules of ope
erations off each part of the building. Othe
er inputs th
hat can be
partt of the mo
odel includ
de the location of the
e building a
and weather files, wh
hich contain detailed
info
ormation o
on such envvironmenta
al characte
eristics as te
emperaturre, the suns path and
d wind
pattterns.
Usin
ng this info
ormation, analysis
a
en
ngines can run simula
ations on th
hings like HVAC
H
sizin
ng, energy
use, water use
e, shading, and lighting levels. You
Y can then make better
b
desig
gn decision
ns by
ana
alyzing and
d documen
nting the exxpected pe
erformance
e of your design.
The
e infograph
hic below explains
e
ho
ow BIM and
d BPA are related,
r
and what typ
pes of analyyses can be
con
nsidered bu
uilding perrformance analysis. Whole
W
Build
ding Energyy Analysis takes into account th
he
inte
erdependencies of the building as a whole
e system, so
s it is a pa
articularly useful
u
way to "keep
score" as you work to re
educe build
ding energy use. Other perform
mance studies like dayylighting and
sola
ar radiation
n can help you impro
ove aspectss of the de
esign. These
e studies are
a most efffective wh
hen
don
ne in conju
unction with energy analysis.
a

By using
u
math
hematical models
m
of real-world phenomena, BPA an
nd BIM can
n help desig
gners pred
dict
the performan
nce and co
ost of a building proje
ect during the design
n process.
The
e linkage off BIM to BP
PA tools ca
an enable analysis
a
to happen more
m
quickly, more offten and more
m
smo
oothly duriing the dessign process. Withou
ut the direcct link to a building in
nformation
n model,
ene
ergy analyssis can invo
olve time consuming manual takeoffs of geometry
g
from
f
2D plans.
One
e of the exciting prom
mises of BIIM is that itt provides users with
h the abilityy to analyze building
performance earlier
e
in th
he design process, when
w
design
n changes can be eassier, less exxpensive, and
a
more impactful.
Para
ametrics m
make mode
eling easierr
Creating desig
gn geomettry is often
n done para
ametricallyy in BIM, which means that the related
elem
ments in th
he design are
a defined
d by linked
d paramete
ers defining
g the intera
action betw
ween the tw
wo
(forr instance, yyou can bu
uild constraints betw
ween eleme
ents, lock dimensions
d
, and align
n elements)).
Also
o, relationsships exist between the building
g elementss: a window
w knows th
hat it is a hole
h
in the
parent wall, an
nd a roof knows
k
thatt it is attach
hed to the top of the
e walls. Thiss is in conttrast to
simpler 2D CA
AD models in which two
t
paralle
el lines mig
ght know th
hat they we
ere two pa
arallel liness,
but do not kn
now that th
hey are a wall
w and hen
nce cant "know" their connectiions, mass,, visible
refle
ectance, or thermal characterist
c
tics.
Witth BIM you can build one mode
el and view
w that model in manyy different ways
w
(floorr plans,
elevvations, sch
hedules), because
b
the
e model pa
arts know where
w
theyy are locate
ed in relatiion to one

another and how they look in section. A change in the definition of an object will propagate that
change throughout every view of that object in the model.
Model Types and the Design Team
Different models are used by different people at different times. Architects tend to be more visual
(preferring to draw and sculpt) and their models look like the building will look. Engineers are
more analytical (preferring to calculate and analyze) and their models might look like a simplified
building or not a building at all (but just a table of numbers). All of these different kinds of
models can be used for integrated sustainable building design.
Examples of different flavors of BIM are:

An architect might author a model that describes the building geometry model.
An architect or engineer might create an energy model from the building geometry. (EAM =
Energy Analytical Model)
An MEP engineer might create a discipline design model that fully describes piping and HVAC
ductwork, for example.
The entire team might collate their models into an aggregated design model to coordinate
different elements of the projects coming together in 3D.
Manufacturers and contractors can use a fabrication model to make customized assemblies for
a building.
Facilities or energy engineers can use an existing conditions model to coordinate maintenance
and retrofits.
As you iterate and move through the phases of design, your building information models will
evolve. As your design progresses and you acquire more information, youll work at different scales
and level of detail. Along the way, you should always be asking yourself what kinds of models will
be most insightful and what level of detail is the most appropriate.
BIM
Design process
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