Sustainable building design: A systematic approach

Atkins are developing a strategic plan to exploit collaborative working techniques, specifically object based modelling of buildings, with the initial investigation centred on early stage design. As part of this they are currently developing tools to evaluate environmental impact of building proposals in terms of materials use and energy consumption. Cost comparisons will also be made for the various solutions analysed. The assessments will use IFC2x schema to hold both the proposed designs and also the Atkins library of Construction and Material properties. An integrated ICT enabled approach will allow all designers to assess their buildings and inform design desicions. A materials evaluation tool will apply the BRE developed EcoPoints methodology, initially using data published in the Green Guide for Specification. IES Virtual Environment will be used to assess energy consumption, Autodesk Architectural Desktop and SketchUp will be used for creating the building models. A live project case study is used to demonstrate the business impacts of introducing a clearer, systematic approach to early stage building design.