ANALYSING EFFECT OF LOCATION ON

PERFORMANCE OF THE BUILDING -

USING REVIT

Name of the Student

DISCIPLINE | UNIVERSITY NAME
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 2
2.0 Literature Review ........................................................................................................................ 2
2.1 Building Information Modeling ...................................................................................... 2
2.2 Use of BIM across continents .......................................................................................... 3
2.3 APPLICATIONS OF BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING ........................... 4
2.4 M-E-P and BIM ................................................................................................................ 5
2.5 Green Buildings / Sustainable Design ............................................................................ 7
2.6 Role of BIM in Energy Analysis ..................................................................................... 8
2.7. Role of BIM in Design/Analysis Software ..................................................................... 9
2.8. Comparison of Energy Analysis Software .................................................................. 10
2.10. Autodesk - Revit & Green Building Studio .............................................................. 12
3.0 BIM in Hongkong Construction Industry ............................................................................... 15
4.0 Objectives .................................................................................................................................... 16
5.0 Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 17
6.0 BIM Model .................................................................................................................................. 17
7.0 Providing Photovoltaic System for Building in UK ............................................................... 19
8.0 Energy Analysis - Results and Discussions .............................................................................. 20
9.0 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................. 22

References: ........................................................................................................................................ 23

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1. INTRODUCTION
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is data rich digital 3D system, that supports co-
ordination between all disciplines involved by reflecting and analysing all the modifications in every
discipline as the designing progresses. Apart from Building system, location of the building also
effects the carbon footprint and energy efficiency of the buildings. Location based data like, daylight,
wind, rainfall etc., are taken into account by BIM, which are used in energy analysis. For efficient
design of sustainable buildings, this energy performance must be evaluated during the earlier stage
of design. For this, Designers or architects should have complete data of location, materials, geometry
of the structure. This data can be incorporated into BIM by designer or can be imported from IFC
data standard so that detailed energy analyses can be performed and necessary changes to enhance
the performance of building can be made.

2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Building Information Modeling
Drawings are the language between architecture, engineering and construction. earlier, 2
dimensional drawings were used and various sections are to be drawn to get the complete picture of
the design. So, if a change is to be made in one element, many changes are to be done in all the other
related drawings. Further, the cost/quantity measurements are to be done numerically.
In 1974, Concept of Building model which integrates details about geometric, spatial, and
property description called Building Description System (BDS) was introduced, which proposed a
computer aided program that can, do easy graphic entering, can edit and generate orthographic
drawings and compile required data for various analysis (Eastman et al. 1974 September). This
introduced 3 dimensional drawing with material properties/quantity/cost as 4th dimension.
The concept of BIM was introduced in 1980s as ‘building model’ by (Ruffle (1986) and Aish
(1986)). The actual term came into picture in 1992, when modeling of building information is said to
be based on the views of each and every individual (e.g. Architecture, engineering, construction
(AEC), Mechanical, plumbing, electrical (MPE)) participating in that building construction project,
as each person plays a different role in a project and always have different views on the project data
as per their specific field (Nederveen and Tolman,1992).
However even after that it took 10 years to evolve the term clearly, that is when Autodesk
released a white paper titled “Building Information Modelling”. Later, in 2006, BIM is defined as a
set of some policies, techniques and technology interacts to form a methodology that manages all the
essential designs, drawings and data of a project in the digital form up to the project completion or
throughout the life cycle of that project (Penttila, 2006).

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 A data rich, object-oriented, intelligent and parametric digital representation of the building
facility, from which views and data appropriate to various users’ needs can be extracted and analyzed
to generate information that can be used to make decisions and improve the process of delivering the
facility (Azhar , Hein and Sketo, 2008).
BIM is apart from physical data like geometry, mass and size, functional data like various
material properties, are also represented digitally in a BIM. All the database and information of the
BIM is shared between everyone involved in the project and also forms a base for whole design
process (US National Building Information Model Standard Project Committee)
BIM is simply a streamlined process and just a good designing practice, which allows data
collection and data transfer between various departments involved in the construction industry. It is
a 3D model which contains all the data about every building element as parametric object models
where each element and model interlinked to each other and automatically modified with the changes
in its linked element. Also, with this one integrated model one can always extract a particular part or
required layout to perform certain specific analysis separately or as a whole. It can also be used to
know material quantities, costs and scheduling which are updated with the model.

2.2 Use of BIM across continents

Wooyoung Jung and Ghang Lee conducted a survey to discover the frequencies of various tools or
services offered by Building information modeling (BIM) services on each continent, their findings
are shown in Fig. 1.

Fig 1: Frequencies of BIM services in 6 continents

In terms of most used features, conclusion of their work is that, usage of certain features of BIM like,
3D coordination, cost estimation and structural analysis were high. This is because these features are
used rather repeatedly during designing and construction phases. For example, if after energy analysis
some changes are to be done to architectural design then the 3D model shall be used again. Similar
scenarios are faced by structural and cost analysis.

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 In terms of advancement in each continent, North America is the first followed by Ocenia and
Europe. Asia ranked 5th and South America was the last of 6 continents (Jung and Lee, 2015).

2.3 Applications of Building Information Modeling

At present Building information modelling (BIM) is a great tool for entire construction industry
which includes architects, designers, contractors, plumbing, mechanical, electrical engineering.
Changes made by any department at any point of designing, is depicted in every model being used
by any other department and necessary changes can be made during designing phase.
Key Benefits of BIM are:
Interoperability: In most of the software, BIM is connected to data sources like Smart Build, IFC etc.
Which transfers required data between different platforms. Information is more easily shared between
various (MEP & AEC) departments and can be improved and changed as per requirement.
Conflict detection: Conflict detection or interference detection is the most important feature of BIM.
All major systems (like piping and electrical etc.,) from various departments can be checked for
collisions or interferences. For example, if a new beam is added in the model it is instantaneously and
automatically check for collisions with piping or electrical wiring etc.,
Energy Analysis: Prior to BIM, energy analysis can be done only after complete design and
construction report. Any change, even if it makes the design more energy efficient could not be
implemented because the cost of redesigning the entire structure was very high. Ability to perform
energy analysis during initial Architectural phase greatly advances the energy efficient design.
Environmental effects, life cycle costs, potential energy generation capacity can be found out at initial
stage of design allowing engineers to incorporate these suggestions in the design and avoid the cost
and time spent on redesigning.

The other applications of BIM are:

• Accurate 3D views can be developed for better understanding.

• Digital product data, which will be updated with the changes in the building model. This data can
be used for manufacturing and scheduling.

• Quantities of different materials are instantaneously recalculated and updated with modifications
that are made in the model. Cost of each material can also be calculated.

• Various code provisions are included in the BIM software, so that any department can check the
safety of the model according to their standards and specifications.

• Building information modeling enabled design can be used to visually depict the renovations, space
planning, and maintenance operations, potential failures, evacuation plans etc.

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2.4 M-E-P and BIM
Before use of BIM the data transfer among structural designers and M-E-P engineers were
very cumbersome. All the models were developed separately by each division and are combined only
after complete design in each stage leading to unforeseen collisions. To avoid this collision changes
are made in at least one or two models, also energy analysis should be repeated. If the energy
efficiency is not satisfactory again changes shall be made. This is very tiresome, costly and repetitive
process. This is practiced till now because engineers of one discipline did not have any knowledge of
other departments and cannot use the data from their models. The typical flowchart of different stages
of design is shown in Fig 2. Apart this if changes are made in any model during this process entire
process shall be modified manually.

Architectural
design

structural
analysis

MEP analysis

final integrated Clash detection

design

energy analysis Required changes for sustainable building

Fig 2: typical flowchart of design stages without BIM

BIM offers M-E-P (Mechanical Electrical and plumbing) unified platform by making it
possible to use only one model for all departments and data is linked and shared over all platforms
this is one of its key feature, interoperability. So, by interoperability data sharing and implementation
between different departments is made easy by BIM.
The 3D modelling helps identify a possible collision between designs in the designing stage
where the project is still plastic enough to make the necessary changes to the design or layout of
pipelines, electrical conduits and wiring etc. Thereby, avoiding any additional costs or time delay
during construction.
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 BIM is also a platform for different departments involved in construction industry to provide
their input data together on the single building project. All the data is compiled and information is
processed in BIM and shortage of coordination is reported for improvement.
BIM gives the flexibility to make changes at any stage of designing. Any change is carried
over to all drawings ad models in whole project. Similarly, if any change is made in one of the models
that might cause a problem with other building elements, BIM will analyse this very quickly and
highlights this conflict. Unlike Architecture, where a change is merely depicted in the model or
drawing structural analysis, energy analysis and any required MEP analyses should be repeated for
the changes in their model. These Re-runs and cross checks are made relatively easy in BIM. This is
a typical flowchart of design process after incorporating BIM.

Architectural
design

cost and
structural
takeoff BIM
analysis
quatitites

M-E-P
analysis

Fig 3: Flowchart of Design stages after BIM

2.5 Green Buildings / Sustainable Design

Green Buildings are perceived as future of construction industry but, according to current
carbon footprint and energy consumption of construction industry Green buildings or Sustainable
buildings are the present. Until now the most economical design is accepted by the client but now
whole life cycle costs are to be considered. Global market requires that all constructions meet energy
codes. Though these codes reduce life cycle costs, they may result in high design and construction
costs. This balance between present needs and future needs should be given importance in design of
sustainable structure. A sustainable design is something which preserves the needs of future, improves
the life cycle of building without significantly affecting the beauty of design or increasing initial and
maintenance cost.

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 If we have daylight, rainfall, wind data from the location of site it would significantly help
designing a Sustainable building. How this location based data can be used in designing an efficient
building is briefed below:
Integrating the use of wind, natural ventilation can lead to effective decisions for many
portions of building design. By looking at the psychometric chart, one can quickly see when the
exterior conditions are in the natural ventilation cooling range and can decide proper building
orientation, window types and locations etc. Looking at wind charts we can see the direction and
speed of the wind during the same periods. A basic move for facilitating natural ventilation for the
design would be to organise the windows of the building to capture those breezes.
Rainwater harvesting reduces using portable water for non-potable water needs. With rainfall
data one can design suitable collection modes (roof / car parking/ runoff etc.), storage facilities (mini
tanks, over roof or in sub levels etc.) and infiltration tanks. Also, can design necessary plumbing
connections to make use of this rainwater for non-potable water needs.
Knowing the daylight time and surroundings at the site we can maximise the use of the sun’s
light and heat. We can also generate some energy, at least for heating water from fixing UV panels
on roof. Use of natural daylight is appropriate for almost every building that has spaces requiring
light. Few design strategies to make use of daylight are:

• Orient the building to suitably.

• Selection of correct intensity of glazing

• Utilising external shading and Reduce heat gain (Krygie and Nies, 2008).
So, a proper building orientation, by selecting a proper glazing percentage, location, and type
of glass, we can harvest usable daylight, by making use of external shading and internal light shelves
we can manage heating and cooling load as per requirement. Because the building is receiving most
of its lighting needs from the sun, you can reduce the number of overhead electric lights and provide
high-efficiency task light.

2.6 Role of BIM in Energy Analysis

Prior to BIM, energy analysis is conducted various tools which required, different parameters
of the building to assess its energy efficiency. Key parameters which are required by these tools like
location, geometry or envelop of the structure and materials etc,. which are not very well known in
architecture. So, if performed the energy analysis was done after complete design of building. When
it was rather impossible to make the changes in design if necessary. Even when the energy analysis
is done after entire design there was no direct link between the model and energy analysis tool, hence,
the input data which was entered into energy analysis tool manually, which increased the probability
of human error and significantly effecting the results (Schlueter and Thesseling, 2008).
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 BIM can store, transfer and provide required data for this energy analysis in architectural
phase. Required parameters like geometry of the structure, materials used in the building and even
location of the building should be stored in the BIM data. Along with the location, its corresponding
data like climate data including rainfall intensity, day light timings etc., Similarly when material data
is to be included in BIM, it requires various details like material type, its thermal capacity, solar heat
coefficients, specific heat capacity, life cycle, environmental impact etc., generally modern energy
analysis software imports this data with accurate descriptions from open and neutral data specification
platforms like Industry foundation classes (IFC) which is developed by Building smart (formerly
known as International alliance for interoperability (IAI)). With this data integrated suitable materials
can be selected during the architectural phase and energy analysis can be performed. In this phase,
any change which could improve performance of the building can be incorporated easily. A recent
research study by Brouwn and Farroqui,(2009) has indicated that average returns for Investment on
Building information modelling (BIM) ranges from 634%-1633%, which is incredible results and it
shows the efficiency of the system.
Even though, BIM provided the data for energy analysis in earlier stages the variability of
outcomes from one software to another is very high. This shows that there is large scope for
improvement in accuracy of modeling. Actual characteristics from real-time building use should be
correlated with the BIM database (Frankel and Turner 2008).
By coordinating BIM with the energy analysis, conceptual picture of the building model can
be communicated in the initial designing phase, when any required changes can be made without
much increase in cost of redesigning. Further, this model can be used as the base model over which
other analysis and simulation programs can be performed. At present there are many energy analysis
and performance analysis programs with different interface as required by various disciplines. The
most suitable software can be selected based on the requirement of the client and the engineer. Few
of these softwares are discussed in next section.

2.7. Role of BIM in Design/Analysis Software

Earlier, in order to design a M-E-P construction using 2D models, building used to be designed
and analysed in each model before transferring it to another. Even to perform energy analysis, entire
design is to be done and separate tools are used for energy analysis. BIM uses parametric object
modeling technology, which provides a link among different building elements used in various
models. The information transferred between the departments includes physical properties (like
geometry) and its functionality (like its specific heat capacity, life cycle etc.).
Most common misconception is that BIM is a software. BIM is merely an envelope of entire
data of all elements in the model. This data is used by various departments and the same is transferred
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to each other. For example, Architect designs the layout of building in Autodesk Revit architecture
(which uses BIM that includes data about material properties etc., needed by Architect), then this
model is transferred to structural engineer who designs the structure using Autodesk Revit Structure
(which also uses BIM that includes required data by structural engineer). Energy analysis can also be
performed using suitable software (Autodesk - GBS or Ecotect). Here, Revit is the software with
different plugins for each discipline and uses BIM to store all the data and details of each design.
Now, if any change need to be made after energy analysis the change is reflected in all architectural
and structural models.
Softwares using BIM can perform complicated energy analysis as daylighting and
solar energy potential, material quantities, cost and schedules while integrating information into a
single model. This data in BIM gives architects access to perform energy or performance analysis
which results can be used to make modifications in the design. The good visualization provided by
extensive BIM data makes for a better presentation. Also, such BIM models contains lot of
information on the building elements and this can be used for LEED certification or to be verified
with local energy codes.

2.8. Comparison of Energy Analysis Software

At present there are many softwares which supports BIM. Almost all these softwares have access to
IFC data base, can perform similar energy analysis. One must choose the suitable software based on
the merits and limitations of the available softwares. Few softwares are good with accuracy but may
not be versatile making is difficult to use in big projects which requires co-rdination between various
models and departments. Some of the widely used Energy analysis tools are listed below:

 Ecotect analysis
 Green Building Studio (GBS)
 DesignBuilder
 VirtualEnvironment
 EcoDesigner

Earlier, the biggest problem with implementing BIM was data acquisition, size of data storage
and speed of data transfer, but with development in technology, the present software can make much
detailed analysis.
Ecotect, is both design and energy analysis software with number of different analysis options
which helps to evaluate building performance in its complete life cycle. It allows the designers to
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perform energy analysis in the early stages of design. The key analysis performed by this product are
energy analysis, thermal analysis, solar analysis and lighting/shading analyses. The energy and
thermal analysis features take into account of HVAC loads. These results are displayed with in the
envelop of the building model, with good visualization, making it perfect to communicate complex
concepts and extensive datasets. This in turn, helps designers to identify the potential for
improvement, that too at the very plastic design stage. Ecotect can also perform acoustic analysis
which comes under building facility management.
Green Building Studio, by Autodesk is a web-based energy analysis service which evaluates
the performance analysis and impact on environment of different building elements in architectural
stage of design by using only architectural drawing and required material, location and other data
which is already incorporated into the model. It finds total energy consumption, production
capacity, lifecycle assessments and lifecycle costs etc,.
Virtual Environment, by Integrated Environmental Solutions perform analyses for solar,
lighting, costs and energy. Typical output includes, day light assessment, carbon emissions, heating,
cooling load, HVAC energy consumption etc. like other energy analysis software.
GBS (Green Building Studio) and Ecotect and VE (virtual environment) were evaluated in
association with the guidelines of LEED (Leadership Energy & Environmental Design) as illustrated
in the table 1.

Table 1: Comparison between Performance Analysis of different Softwares (Source: HCC, Atlanta)

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Comparison was made between these three software by Azhar, Brown, and Farooqui, (2009) and with
respect to capability of analysis, Virtual Environment was ranked 1st in versatility and power. Green
Building Studio is second most versatile of the three but lacks in acoustic analysis. Ecotect, is stronger
than Green Building Studios (GBS) in almost all outputs but it ranked last in versatility. Though
Green Building Studios scored less in its capability of analysis but it is more versatile than Ecotect.
Except in Acoustic analysis (Azhar, Brown, and Farooqui, 2009).

2.9. Disadvantages of Performing Energy Analysis in early design stage

Main advantage of implementing BIM is it allows to perform energy analysis on architectural
model which is early design stage, by providing required material and geometric data to the
architectural model. However, the accuracy of energy analysis in this stage is questionable and
research is still going on this topic. In 2014, a study was conducted by Abdullah, Cross and Aksamija,
on accuracy of two energy analysis softwares (Green Building Studio & Sefaira), by comparing
energy analysis results of these two softwares with the actual building performance. The study
revealed that energy analysis data given by Green Building Studio (GBS) was significantly (63%)
higher than that of Sefaira (1%) (Abdullah, Cross and Aksamija, 2014). They concluded that this is
because inability GBS to consider advanced lighting and HVAC (Heating, cooling and air-
conditioning) systems. However, this study shows that it is important to understand the shortcomings
of performing complete energy analysis in earlier stage of design. If such analysis must be performed,
first, suitable data to make the analysis more accurate should be collected. To know which data plays
key role in energy analysis careful review shall be made on the available software. Care shall be taken
that the input data is accurate and as detailed as possible, then suitable software must be chosen based
on merits and limitations of that particular software.

2.10. Autodesk - Revit & Green Building Studio

Autodesk Revit is strong architectural, design and documentation software, it supports
Building Information Modelling (BIM) instead of CAD models. The main difference between CAD
and BIM models is that in CAD model, information is stored in geometry (lines, curves etc.) but BIM
model which is used by Revit superimposes this type of CAD model with additional information
making it a smart model, this is the concept of parametric modeling. This additional information about
material properties greatly advances the design procedure. Various tools are provided by Revit for
engineers of different disciplines. Revit provides common platform for architects and designers. M-
E-P systems can be designed in co-ordination with architectural and structural models. Model created
in Revit can be Optimised for building performance by using linked energy analysis software. Every
model designed using Revit platform envelops the complete project with integrated material,
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geometric and location details and is stored in one database. Thus, changes made in any model in any
stage of designing is instantaneously reflected in every other copy of model, thereby improving the
co-ordination between all departments and reducing the time and cost of efficient designing.
Apart from this parametric modelling and interoperability the other key feature of Revit is
bidirectional associativity. This means when a particular change is made in any component of the
model say height of the wall, automatically height of ceiling, beams, columns and even windows etc.
are readjusted. This concept makes the work much simple for the user by saving his effort and time.
As discussed earlier different tools are to be used for different analysis. Revit architecture for
architectural design, where the basic model of building is designed and material data can also be
included if applicable. Revit Structure for structural analysis, where structural framework of building
can be modelled and analysed. Revit MEP for Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing design, where
modelling of electrical conduits, ducts, pipes, ac vents etc., can be done. All these systems which are
modelled using respective tools are integrated with final building model.
Revit Based building design can be analysed for energy efficiency in Autodesk’s web-based
service, Green Building Studio. This tool helps architects to do energy analysis so that efficient green
design can be implemented in this early stage. Depending on the building properties and its location
Green Building Studio (GBS) determines the suitable building materials, Heating, Ventilation and air
conditioning (HVAC) systems, and other equipment by importing from regional building standards
and codes. Then, the architects can select the required details for energy analysis by selecting one of
the options from default data. However, these settings can be changed if need be, to define decided
parameters of the building which can be building orientation or a certain fixed kind of HVAC system
etc. After the changes, the energy analysis can be rerun and instantaneous results showing the carbon
emissions, fuel and electricity consumption and cost, heating and cooling load etc., are given in the
output file. From this output file different design aspects can be changed and analysis can be run again
to design a more energy efficient building. The output also estimates solar and wind energy potential
which can be implemented to generate power.

Some of the features of Green Building Studio (GBS) are:

• Energy analysis uses assumptions based on the geographic location of the model. Location data
includes cost and availability of electricity and fuel in that area.

• appropriate weather station can be chosen using the Internet Mapping Service option.

• If nearby buildings or structures will shade your building, you can model them to ensure that the
energy analysis incorporates their effects on your building.

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• Automatic thermal zoning is GBS uses advanced algorithms to divide the geometry into thermal
zones without additional modeling. You can also create custom thermal zones to reflect specific
design parameters.

• Interoperability: Revit coordinates the work with the work of other departments/teams involved in
the projects. This is achieved by importing, exporting and creating interlinks between data from
various sources including IFC database.

Output data of Green Building Studio (GBS):

General output of energy analysis would contain total consumption of energy per year and
energy profiles are built based on the location and weather data. The main results from energy analysis
can be divided into three types, which are described below:
Operational data: It includes fuel and electricity utilization and potential to generate power.;
Economic data: It includes cost of fuel and electricity (maintenance cost), savings etc.; Environmental
data: It includes carbon emissions, savings or additional use of electricity and fuel.

In a typical output file of GBS following results are obtained:

1. Annual carbon emissions: Annual carbon emissions of the building is given in metric tonnes.
Split-up of fuel and electrical consumption is also shown. Energy generation potential, if any, is
also represented and net carbon emissions are shown. From this output, we can see if the energy
generation capacity needs to be improved, if the fuel and energy consumption can be optimised.

2. Annual usage of energy and cost, both electrical and fuel are represented in pie chart.

3. Split-up of purposes for which fuel is used is represented in pie chart

4. Split-up of purposes for which fuel is used is represented in pie chart

5. Monthly Heating Load: When outside temperatures are low, to keep the inside of the building
warm various heating equipment is used. the energy used by these equipment is the required
heating load of the building. Obviously, this load is more in winters. This heating load is given in
Mega Joules for every month of the year. By identifying the building elements which are
responsible for increasing the heating load (the elements in –ve direction) we can try changing
these materials if possible. If any material is changed based on this analysis, it must be cross
checked for its effect on Monthly cooling load.

6. Monthly Cooling Load: When outside temperatures are high, to keep the inside of the building
cool, various cooling equipment is used. the energy used by these equipment is the required
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 cooling load of the building. Obviously, this load is more in summers. This cooling load is given
in Mega Joules for every month of the year. By identifying the building elements which are
responsible for increasing the cooling load (the elements in -ve direction) we can try changing
these materials if possible. If any material is changed based on this analysis, it must be cross
checked for its effect on Monthly heating load.

7. Month-wise fuel and electricity usage is given in MJ and kWh

8. Wind rose diagrams are also given in this analysis. This can be helpful if we want to utilise the
wind energy to generate power or in any other way.

Thus, by carefully studying the energy analysis output one can make necessary changes in design to
improve energy performance.

3. BIM in Hongkong Construction Industry

Implementation of BIM in Hong Kong still in very preliminary stage. In a survey conducted in
2005, it is revealed that reasons for not using BIM were that, about 65% of the firms felt Existing
CAD system can fulfil their requirements and 50% said that BIM does not reduce drafting times, 30%
were not willing to spend on BIM enabled software and 30% stated lack of skill and training as their
reason not to use BIM (Tse, Wong, Wong, 2005). Even according to recent findings, though there is
increase in BIM installed companies from 50% in 2004 to 83% in 2014, only 5% of these firms use
BIM in more than 50% of their ongoing projects. One of the reasons for this might be lack of demand
for BIM from clients (Chan, 2014).
Implementation of BIM in hongkong is greatly advanced by Public Housing. Public rental
housing projects have been using BIM since 2006. Hongkong Housing Authority have established
their standards and guides for engineers and architects. Institute of BIM is established and
Conferences are held every year. Construction Industry Council (CIC) is trying to get all the users
of BIM on a unified platform. CIC is also pushing clients to adopt BIM. CIC also established
Standards and training for BIM implementation.
The Government of Hong kong is also determined to move the drafting and designing platform
from 2D CAD to BIM in public works projects. In 2017 Policy Address it is stated that major works
of the Government should implement BIM from January 1 2018. In this Circular types of works and
stages of work where BIM should be implemented is detailed as a table which is shown in Fig4.

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 Fig 4: Mandatory and Optional use of BIM by The Government of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region

Following sectors of Hong Kong are currently using BIM in their projects:
 Housing Authoriity (HA)
 Airport Authority
 Mass Transit Railway (MTR)
 Public works departments (Under Special Administrative Region)
 Private designers, consultants and contractors (Under CIC)
Thus, with the stern efforts of the Government of Hong Kong, CIC and HA of Hong Kong
use of BIM is currently increasing both in designing and construction stages.

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4. Objectives

• To model a same building in Revit layout with change in location

• To compare the results of simulations and identify discrepancies in energy consumption, renewable
energy potential and carbon emissions.

• Enhance the building performance of the building by adding PV panels to meet BEAM plus guide.
• Documentation of the results and conclusions

5. Methodology
For this study, same building layout is considered but at different locations and is modelled
in Revit. Effect of difference in temperature, weather and wind conditions between two locations on
energy consumption is studied and documented. Further, performance of building modeled in UK is
improved by provided PV Panels.

6. BIM Model
By using Auto desk Revit, BIM model of the building is developed. This model contains all
the information like the material, geometry and other properties of walls, windows, doors etc. Energy
analysis is performed on this model considering two different locations, one as Leeds, West

Yorkshire, UK and other as Hong kong, SAR. Suitable weather stations are selected for these
locations. BIM model of building is shown in Fig 5.
Fig 5: BIM Model of Building

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 All the other parameters like number of people, window ratio floor area and exterior wall area
are kept same. Only location based parameters like fuel cost, electricity cost temperature etc. are
different for both models. Parameters of two models are shown in fig 6 and 7

Fig 6: Building performance factors – Hong Kong, SAR

Fig 7: Building performance factors – Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK

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7. Providing Photovoltaic System for Building in UK

For an efficient commercial building provision for producing renewable energy should be given. To
achieve this Photovoltaic technology is used. PV panels are provided on the roof of the building.
These panels covert sunlight to electrical energy. The detailed operation of PV technology is shown
in figure 8.

Figure 8: Photovoltaic (PV) Technology Detail Operation and Major Components

Source: Washington State University Extension Energy Program (2009), “Solar Electric System
Design, Operation and Installation”

PV panel quantity
31 pieces (arranged as shown in figure 9)

Area covered
Area per panel x number of panel
= 1.559m x 1.046m x 31 unit
= 50.6m2

Total output
327W/p x 31pcs = 10.14 kW
(Under Standard Testing Condition)
Figure 9: arrangement of PV panels on
roof

RETScreen Suite is used to calculate the output power which worked out to be 0.14 kW and
12.032 MWh/years and payback period is 25 years. Thus, with the proposed area and accuracy, this
addition can reduce the shading effect and increase the free space around the PV array for
maintenance or access purpose. (Please refer to Appendix 8.5).

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8. Energy Analysis - Results and Discussion
Even though, both models have same geometrical properties, differences created by location
like cost and availability of fuel and electricity can affect the carbon emissions and annual energy
cost.

For Hong Kong, SAR For Leeds, West Yorkshire, U.K

Fig 10(a): Energy Consumption

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 For Hong Kong, SAR For Leeds, West Yorkshire, U.K

Fig 10(b): Energy Consumption

From Figure 10(a) & 10(b), it is evident that availability and cost of fuel and energy
significantly effects the lifecycle use and cost of the building.

For Hong Kong, SAR For Leeds, West Yorkshire, U.K

Fig 11: Heating and cooling loads for Hong Kong, SAR

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 From Fig:11 we can notice that, maximum heating load, (i.e., power consumed to keep
temperature warm inside of buildings during cold weather) for Hong Kong (18,000MJ) is very low
compared to U.K (250,000MJ). Also, required Heating load for whole year expect winter is almost
negligible. On contrary, cooling load, (i.e., power consumed to cooldown the temperature inside the
building during hot weather) for Hong Kong (400000 MJ) is greater than (225000MJ) for UK.

Comparison between carbon emissions, Energy use and Heating/cooling load between two
models are tabulated below.

Parameter Units Hong Kong, SAR Leeds,

West Yorkshire, UK
Carbon Emissions Metric tonnes/Year 65 740
Annual Energy Cost USD 136,571 245,132
Energy use Fuel MJ 1,311,587 107
Energy use by Electricity kWh 1,350,672 829,378
Monthly heating Load (Max) MJ 18000 250,000
Monthly cooling load (Max) MJ 400000 225000

9. Conclusion

Building information modeling is not a new topic, it is a result of evolution of design process from
orthographic 2D hand drawings, Computer aided 2D and 3D drawings with quantity and cost analysis
to complete envelop which contains all the required data of the model as required by anyone involved
in the construction industry. This information rich modeling enables architects and designers to do
complicated analysis like energy analysis in earlier stages of design. Although there are few
drawbacks in performing such complex analysis at earlier stages, it can be overcome by providing
accurate data and selecting suitable software.

Building information modelling is not the future, it is the present. Though its use is limited in
Hong Kong, it shows a promising improvement recently. From this study, it is concluded that same
design is not effective for any location. One must modify the design of the building differently based
on the parameters of the location, even though it has the same layout. Also, carbon footprint of the
building can be reduced, thereby improving the energy efficiency of building by taking necessary
measures like, providing PV panels in this case.

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