The Benefits of a Performance-Based Design Process

New collaborative tools are helping designers consistently deliver high-performance design solutions
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Environmental Benefits of PBD Projects

Commercial and residential buildings consume almost 40 percent of the primary energy and about 70 percent of the electricity in the United States. New buildings are built more quickly than old buildings are retired, so building energy use continues to increase. Electricity consumption in the commercial building sector doubled between 1980 and 2000, and is expected to increase another 50 percent by 2025.1

The environmental benefits of PBD projects appear in just about every phase, from design to construction, and through the building’s long-term operating and maintenance phases. Because architects and designers can make more accurate projections in each phase, they can make better decisions about which materials to use, how best to have the materials delivered, and how the building can be designed to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

Another important aspect of the PBD approach is that the process helps designers avoid having to rework parts of the design. By locking in a well-informed design early in the process, designers can better meet performance standards and the ever-changing energy codes, such as IECC and ASHRAE Standard 90.1. A clear design pathway helps architects avoid late-stage rework, which, in addition to being costly, can add to the environmental cost of the project.

Whole building energy use and carbon emissions can both be reduced through energy-efficient building envelopes and properly designed HVAC systems.

Carbon Reduction

The building sector is the top contributor of greenhouse gas emissions in the world. One of the best ways to change this ranking is to shift toward energy-efficient buildings and overall greener construction practices both during construction and after occupancy. A performance-based design approach can make carbon reduction a design priority and can drive the design in ways that have not previously been done. Whether this comes through setting performance goals of having net-zero carbon emissions or by designing the building envelope for energy efficiency, PBD can help architects understand the tradeoffs that emerge through the design process.

Green Building Certifications

High-performance buildings designed with the PBD approach are rapidly being seen as competing with the cost of traditionally designed projects, and they excel in meeting green building goals as well. Whether a project includes a new build or a significant retrofit, performance-based design can help make achieving green goals and certifications part of the design process and relatively easy to do.

Green building goals and certifications can be achieved through three main strategies, namely:

  1. Using the whole building energy analysis as a design tool to identify and assess ways to save money and improve performance
  2. Conducting a critical analysis of material selection to improve durability, sustainability, and overall health, safety and welfare of occupants
  3. Using efficient, passive design to reduce the cost and energy use of mechanical systems

When used together as part of a building design strategy, each of the above elements can help meet green building goals and certifications, such as LEED.


Conclusion

Performance-based design represents what may soon be seen as an important shift in how architects, designers, and their firms conduct their design process. High-performance buildings that meet increasingly stringent energy requirements will increasingly become standard, and a PBD approach and related software can help designers navigate these changes in the building industry.


End Notes

1Conti, John J., Paul D. Holtberg, Joseph A. Beamon, James M. Kendell, and Andy S. Kydes. "Annual Energy Outlook 2005 (AEO2005)." February 2005. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Web. 27 Oct. 2016. http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/archive/aeo05/pdf/0383(2005).pdf.


References



Sefaira logo. Sefaira is a leader in software for real-time Performance-Based Design. Sefaira allows design professionals to understand the daylighting, comfort, and energy performance of their designs directly in their SketchUp and Revit design environment so that they can create better and higher-performing buildings with lower capital and operating costs. sefaira.com


SketchUp logo. SketchUp is the most intuitive way to design, document, and communicate your ideas in 3D. sketchup.com

 

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Originally published in Architectural Record
Originally published in November 2016


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