Lunch Money Data

Because I am a total data nerd, I have been keeping track of my coffee and lunch spending while at work. I created a little Google Form into which I enter my daily spending. This is collected in a Google Sheet. As of Tableau 10, I can now directly connect to the Google Sheet and analyze my spending habits. Don't judge me. ;)

Bible Viz

Social Progress Mapped

How does the world progress and how fast. The Social Progress Imperative is an organization the endeavors to measure that. Here is a world map showing the improvement or decline of country's Social Progress Index score. 

 

Inaction Breeds Fear

BeingHuman

How to Win Friends and Influence Peoples is one of the best books on how to be a decent human being ever written. The classics never die!

The World is my Oyster...Again!

Experienced Architect and Design Technology Consultant very excited about the opportunities that are awaiting me in this great wide world. For more about me, check out my LinkedIn profile. I am open to any and all possibilities. Whoa...Déjà vu!

New Worlds

Just so I have at least one more post this year…I thought I would throw this up.

New job, in a new city, with a new house, new schools, new people.  At least the earth is remaining the same…except for that whole global warming thing. 

Where to Next

I don’t know.  The reasons for wanting to blog haven’t changed.  I will hopefully journal about technology, architecture, sustainability, business, wine, chocolate, LEED, Revit, fashion, design, and food.

But we will see.

One thing I have done recently was talk about technology implementation.  Check it out here:  http://aiacc.org/now-next-future-conference-presentations/

I had the honor of sharing the stage with some very esteemed speakers.  It was a humbling and invigorating experience.

The World is My Oyster

Experienced Architect and Design Technology Consultant very excited about the opportunities that are awaiting me in this great wide world.  For more about me, check out my LinkedIn profile.  I am open to any and all possibilities.

Hello World…Again

Just wanted to post something…anything…since I haven’t done so in an embarrassingly long time.  A lot has happened since my last post.

First of all, I started an MBA program at George Fox University in the fall.  A fantastic program with awesome values and great faculty.  We have also had some amazing guest lecturers including author and TED speaker, Mohan Nair.  That has been keeping me very busy. 

Second, I started a new role at my company.  That has also been keeping me very busy.  It too is awesome! 

Anyway, I won’t drone on and on, but I am hoping to start doing monthly posts.  They will be little posts and likely just inane babblings of an over tired mind, but they will be posts.  So, if you see this post check back soon.  In the meantime, if you want to read something more substantial, check out this through back – How to be a Human Being.  It’s a truth that bears repeating.

2011 AIA Convention - BIM for Residential Architecture

BIM for Residential Architecture A Small Firm Primer (SA402)

 

Speakers

Stuart M. Narofsky, AIA, LEED AP
James A. Walbridge, AIA

 

Session Blurb

This seminar, hosted by CRAN (Custom Residential Architects Network), is designed to address the evolving and complex question of BIM technology and its relevance for mainstream use in the small residential architecture firm. Some of the questions facing the small residential firm in adopting BIM surround performance in producing documents that address client benefits and satisfaction, costs involved with integrating BIM into a small office, staff education and training, legal ramifications of the information produced or shared in BIM and the effective use of BIM models by allied industries and craftsmen. This workshop, although not directly relating to this year's convention theme, is nevertheless a critical topic for enhancing delivery of services. Demand is high from small practices across the nation for topics addressing BIM delivery methods because the technology will continue to evolve and merge into our profession and industry. Questions remain as to how small practitioners can most effectively utilize this technology. The speakers, having adopted BIM into their own practices, will be able to share their unique insights with attendees, thus giving a real world insight into the opportunities and pitfalls in integrating BIM into their offices. They also represent differing computer platforms, PC and Mac, to provide a diversity of perspectives.

 

Notes

This was a very interesting session.  Both speakers own firms that are architect-led design-build.  This was another emphasis on integration as key to getting the most out of BIM.  The first speaker, James Walbridge has Tekton Architecture.  They use ArchiCAD as their BIM tool of choice.  The other speaker, Stuart Narofsky owns Narofsky Architecture and he uses Revit.  Although they highlighted the software used by each firm during the presentation, it was really not that important.  Both speakers had the same essential message to share.

First, they used the Wikipedia definition of BIM, which I had never seen before.  I thought it was interesting that they used that definition instead of the Nation BIM Standard definition or some other industry organization or standards setting entity.

Over the course of the next 50 minutes, they had a few good pearls:

1. They both stated in there own way, only model what you must…just enough.  And always keep your focus on what the BIM will be used for.
2. As design-builders, they brought the subs and consultants on early in the design process.  This was to discuss means and methods of construction and then set up the model in the best way.
3. The tighter the design, the tighter the model needs to be.
4. Both speakers gave examples of how they vary their tools based on the project.  They have a suite of tools available.  This gives them flexibility to use what is best for the project. 

Mr. Walbridge gave a great example of the Ebisu Sushi restaurant project in San Francisco.  It was a BIM project, but not all of it was done with BIM.  Everything in the restaurant was drawn in 2D except the main design feature - a folded wood panel system that was designed to represent a wave curling.  Check out the PDF link below on pages 49-58,  The folding panels were modeled and sent directly to the fabricator to be cut.  The tolerances were very tight otherwise the wave would not fit together.  This was very cool.  The main point of this example was that not all of your project needs to be BIM.  You can use BIM as a tool on even a single design feature.

Link to session PDF.

2011 AIA Convention - Integrated Design to Fabrication

Integrated Design to Fabrication for Urban Housing Solutions (FR326)

 

Speakers

David C. Hovey Jr., AIA
Calvin Kam, AIA, PhD, PE, LEED AP

 

Session Blurb

The restoration of urban infrastructure in cities like New Orleans will require a systematic reexamination of many fundamental methodologies of design and building. These efforts can connect to current trends affecting the architectural profession—ideas connected to sustainability, building information modeling, alternative project delivery, and digital fabrication—through new strategies for urban housing. In this presentation, experts in project delivery, technology implementation, and digital fabrication will explore the intersection of these strategies by proposing approaches for model-based design and construction for housing and by exploring models potentially relevant to urban renewal. Using project examples from practice and research, this session will create a framework for a potential future of housing construction.

 

Notes

The session highlighted a process developed by Optima to go from design to fabrication.  A single family residence of 5000 square feet which they say has been engineered to be assembled in 56 working days.  The way they can do this is by using a completely integrated in-house team. 

The second part of the session reviewed one of Optima’s multifamily developments called Camel View Village.  What they pointed out was that they were able to achieve an increase in landscaping on the site.  The 13 acre property ended up with 24 acres of green space.  They did this by optimizing (no pun intended) every horizontal surface for planting by taking light meter readings as the structure was being built.  This allowed them to know exactly how much light was going to be available and where in order to know exactly what to plant and where.  It was quite nice to see another example of live research data during construction to feed further design refinement of future phases of construction.  There was another great example of this at the 2010 AIA Convention in Miami.  It was a session on The New York Times building.  I blogged about here.  I am always amazed at how much can be accomplished by a truly integrated design and construction team.

Link to session PDF.

2011 AIA Convention - The AIA 2030 Commitment

Measuring Industry Progress Towards 2030 (TH247)

 

Speakers

William J. Worthen, LEED AP

 

Session Blurb

Altering current design and construction practices to reduce the use of natural resources and non-renewable energy sources, to address the problem of waste production, and to promote regeneration of natural resources will require a multiple-year effort. The AIA 2030 Commitment is a growing national initiative for entities working in the built environment to transform the way we practice. It asks these organizations to make a pledge, to develop multi-year action plans, and to implement steps that can advance AIA's goal of carbon neutral buildings by the year 2030.The purpose of this initiative is to transform how we approach practice by focusing on the entire design portfolio rather than on individual, exemplary projects. Rooted in the belief that good design is sustainable design, the intent was to develop a method of tracking and measuring progress towards the 2030 goals that was simple and normalized for firms of all types. Sustainable design goals should be incorporated into every project from the outset, not just those seeking green building certification. William Worthen, AIA LEED AP, will moderate a panel of firm principals presenting the reasons for joining the 2030 Commitment, the sustainable design and business strategies they have implemented within their offices and on their projects, and the challenges faced in transforming how they design projects and operate as a firm to reduce the negative impact of the design and construction industry on the climate. The session will also explore the tools being developed by the AIA to assist firms of all sizes and expertise levels in meeting the challenge.

 

Notes

There are not many notes I can provide beyond the session blurb.  They really just did an overview of AIA 2030 Commitment and how it is different from the 2030 Challenge. Essential the difference is a commitment to provide documentation showing potential project energy use at a very high level on an annual basis.  The predicted energy use is all that is and can be reported. There is not way to report actual from the design side.  There were obvious concerns around whether this is really useful.  Owners and users will inevitably use the building somewhat differently than what the energy modeler assumed.  The first version of the 2030 Commitment Report is available online here.

Link to session PDF.

2011 AIA Convention - Award Winning BIM

Seven Years of AIA TAP BIM Awards (TH224)

Speakers

Stephen R. Hagan, FAIA, BIM Awards Chair
Calvin Kam, AIA, PhD, TAP Co-chair
Tony Rinella, Assoc AIA, TAP Co-chair

Session Blurb

Award-winning building information models and the firms and teams that submitted and have received these awards constitute a tremendous knowledge base and set of case studies on the state of practice and state of the art for Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). This moderated panel discussion, by members of the AIA Technology in Architecture Practice (TAP) advisory group, who also served for the past six years as coordinators and jury members, will explore the progress of BIM and what the future holds by looking back at what can be learned from the winners of the past six years of AIA TAP BIM Awards. Included in the discussion will be case studies from Stellar Architecture, Process Improvement, academic, and sustainability categories. Quotations and commentary from winning teams and jury members will add an additional perspective to the presentations and interactive Q&A with the attendees.

 

Notes

This session, like most awards sessions, reviewed the winners of the various categories.  What was nice about this presentation was that they took the time to highlight some of the trends they have seen in the awards submissions over the past seven years.  The early BIM award submissions were about drawing automation.  Next there was model production to decision and then direct to fabrication.  Now the emphasis is on process – designers, owners, constructors in integrated teams.

A BIM Scorecard from CIFE/Stanford was introduced. The beta version was reviewed and some of the BIM Award winner’s projects were assessed using this new tool. This tool is supposed to be available on the CIFE website, but as of this writing, I cannot find it.  When it does come available, it will be a very useful tool for assessing a project’s usage of BIM and highlighting areas where a project could have done more.

Link to session PDF.

2011 AIA Convention - Mega-Regions

Mega regions—The World of the Future (GS001)

Speaker

Thomas Friedman, Foreign Affairs columnist for The New York Times, Author of Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution—and How It Can Renew America

Session Blurb

If we have one obligation, it is to pass on this country, with its institutions and opportunities, to the next generation so that they have a chance to achieve the American dream and live better lives than we do. The consequences of globalization and a lack of seriousness when it comes to protecting the environment are making this an increasingly complicated task. As mega-regions, networks of cities with shared economies, ecosystems, and transportation systems, continue to expand, the world is becoming an increasingly "flat" place—that is, a place in which American workers are increasingly competing with workers in countries with emerging markets. To remain competitive, Americans must be willing to invest in things like infrastructure, education, immigration, and the environment. By taking ownership of our actions and sacrificing in order to achieve our higher goals, we can ensure our country will be a truly exceptional place to live for generations to come. Thomas Friedman points to solutions that will empower us to do just that, and paints a vivid picture of our future world.

 

Notes

One of the main purposes of any convention keynote presentation is to stir the attendees.  Make them feel enthusiastic about being at the convention.  Get them excited for the overall convention experience.  The keynote by Thomas Friedman did just that.  I found him to be a very dynamic speaker.  He was skilled at painting vivid pictures with his words as he spoke, much in the same way he does when he writes.

I was first introduced to his writing when I read his 2005 book, The World is Flat.  This was a very interesting read about globalization.  I highly recommend it.  His newest book, Hot, Flat and Crowded, was the basis for his talk.  More information about it here.

Sadly, with presentations such as this, the enthusiasm and energy with which this presentation was given cannot be adequately transcribed to a simple blog post.  However, I think there are still some interesting quotes that I can share as I outline his talk.

He started by painting a detailed picture of the current state of affairs in America.  He said that the perception is that America is falling. We are not growing sustainably, both in the market place and the environment. We under price the risk, privatize the gains and socialize the losses in both the market and the environment.  Peoples attitudes are IGB, UBG: do what you want now because either I'll Be Gone or You'll Be Gone.  The difference is situational values versus sustainable values.  Then he set the stage for the next part of the talk by giving his definition of ecology and economy: Mother Nature is biology, chemistry and physics; The Market is a balance of fear and greed.

In the second part, he talked about his book, Hot, Flat and Crowded.  Hot means global warming; Flat means a hyper connected world; Crowded means 8 billion now, 10 billion by 2050.  He outlined 5 issues from this book about our future. 

1. Energy and Natural resource supply and demand.  Someone invented a new form of measurement called the Americom which is 300 million people living like Americans. In 1953 there were 2.5 Americom. Today there is 8 Americom.  This will grow and strain resources.
2. Petro politics or Petro dictatorships.  The price of oil is inverse to the freedom of people in the oil producing countries.  This was a very interesting comparison.  Essential, freedom drives down the price of oil.  He had some very compelling data from respectable sources to back this up.  It was very sad.
3. Climate Change.  Referred to by Joseph Romm as Global Weirding, because of the crazy weather it causes.  We need to buy insurance now against climate change. Nobody buys insurance because they are certain they will need it. They buy insurance because they are uncertain.  Climate change is one of the most uncertain things facing the planet today.
4. Energy Poverty.  1 in 4 people in the world don't have access to power.  Some of the images shown during this part of the presentation were heartbreaking.  One I remember was an image of about 15 young men in one of the African countries.  They were all in a evenly spaced row, sitting on short round bollards beside a road.  There, they were reading and doing their homework.  The road was at the airport and they went there because that was the only place they had access to light after dark…from the street lamps.
5. Biodiversity Loss.  This is the new Noah age. We need to save species now. There is no time for later. One species is lost every 20 minutes.

In the last part of his presentation, Mr. Friedman talk about his idea for a solution to all of the issues identified above.  His suggested solution:  Abundant, Cheap, Clean, Reliable Electrons.  We need a green revolution. What we are having is a green party. No one is getting hurt. Have you every seen a revolution where someone doesn't get hurt?  America can be the innovation leader in this area.  We excel at solving systems problems and this is a systems problem.  We need to instill an ecosystem of codes and laws.  There must be a cost for carbon and we must support and scale innovation.

His last comment was “change your leader, not your light bulb”.

2011 AIA Convention - The Federal Presence

The Federal Presence 2010 GSA Design Awards (TH205)

 

Speakers

Les Shepherd, AIA, U.S. General Services Administration
Casey L. Jones
Warren R. Schwartz, FAIA
Robert E. Siegel, AIA
Julie V. Snow, FAIA

 

Session Blurb

This session will provide an overview of contemporary federal architecture and will address issues and questions concerning how to get federal work and where the GSA's standards are relative to performance on design, engineering, construction, and the arts.

 

Notes

This was a review of the award recipient’s projects. Each project was briefly discussed by a panel. Some of the comments by the panelists were that the GSA needs to focus more on small firms. Another notable comment was that the GSA is a good client because they are institutional (large, everywhere) and they have a design focus.

The speakers from the GSA outlined two ways to get GSA work. One is to go after the big projects in a traditional competitive way. The other is to go after an IDIQ contract. IDIQ are not always just for little projects. GSA uses this method for getting larger projects started faster. As for performance, the GSA care about first the program, second the security aspects and then the rest is left to the designer

Link to PDF

2011 AIA Convention - BIM Awards Reception

AIA Technology in Architectural Practice BIM Awards Reception (EV105)

Speakers

Award Recipients

 

Session Blurb

The AIA TAP BIM Awards reception is an annual celebration of the BIM Awards program and its current recipients. The evening event is an opportunity for AIA members to network with peers while celebrating the best in BIM design.

 

Notes

Nothing to report here. The awards where somewhat unceremonious. The recipients were rushed up, handed a certificate, photographed and rushed away. The BIM handout was more informative.  You can find it here.

2011 AIA Convention - TAP Revolution

TAP Revolution: Better Design and Higher Value Driven by Process Innovation and Technology (EV115)

 

Speakers

Various

 

Session Blurb

Come to the AIA 2011 Convention early to connect with award winning BIM users for free. Hear from building owners about how BIM is revolutionizing the industry and better serving their needs. Learn how to achieve better design and higher value throughout the life-cycle of buildings. Owners such as GSA, US Coast Guard, Real Estate developers, Community Colleges, City and State Agencies, and others will present a rapid fire vision of what is happening and what owners need from the AEC industry.

Right after the owner's rapid fire presentations, the TAP Revolution will feature a special guest from Japan—Mr. Ryota Ieiri—to share first-hand accounts and outlook from the 3/11/11 disaster. Mr. Ieiri is a veteran writer, blogger and analyst who specialize in technology for architectural practice in Japan. He writes for the Nikkei Publications and on 5/11, he will join the TAP Advisory Group in discussing the near term needs, the longer term recover, and the future of information modeling and simulation technologies in support of emergency management. He will include a presentation of how architects, engineers and builders from Japan, US and the rest of the world are collaborating to plan for shelters in northern Japan.

 

Notes

This presentation was a rapid fire series of short talks by various owners’ representatives. There were about fifteen in all. The presentations were too fast to be able to take any notes on the individual presenters. Really, the presentations served to give audience members, primarily architects, a sense of what all the various owners are looking for in terms of BIM and related technologies. The general sense I got was that all these owners were looking for more innovative delivery methods than what traditional services provide. 

Following these presentations, two gentlemen from Japan spoke to the group about the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan. Ryota Ieiri is a journalist and blogger who writes about architecture and BIM. Yoshihiko Sano is the president and principal at Yasui Architects & Engineers, Inc.

Ieiri talked about the BIMStorm that Onuma Planning System sponsored that helped produce some real plans for housing the displaced victims and the future of information modeling and simulation technologies in support of emergency management.  You can find more information here.

Sano spoke about the need for international firms to come in and participate in the redevelopment of the areas hit. Bringing in new ideas, technologies and processes.

2011 AIA Convention - Energy Modeling

Energy Modeling: What You Need To Know (EV101)

Speakers

William Worthen, AIA, Director, Resource Architect for Sustainability
Maurya McClintock, Facade Group
Nicholas Long, NREL.

Session Blurb

This session will present the latest AIA research and efforts related to energy modeling skills and tools, and how you can begin to use energy modeling to assist with high performance project design early in the design process. The outline for the AIA’s Practice Guide on Using Energy Modeling in the Design Process will be presented, as well as other education content and collaborations.

 

Notes

Bill Worthen spoke first. His talk was about the history of energy modeling within architecture, the current state of affairs and some of the challenges facing architects as they try to work with energy professionals and engineers to get better design data. The typical process is late in the project. Usually too late to have significant effect on the design. This is usually to check to make sure the design is going to do what everyone hopes it will do in terms of energy performance, but not to affect real design decisions.

There are certain challenges with this. There are limitations of software such as it may be able to only model certain things. An example given was chilled beams which apparently are difficult to model in current tools. Another issue is that the results are variable. Of course the output is only as good as the input, but the same input in different software can provide different results. This is due to the fact that there is currently no standard for what an energy model is or what energy modeling software does. There are no standards in analysis tools and analysis engines.

To get from 30% to 50% better than ASHRAE 90.1 baseline, design needs to be engaged. Typically, projects can achieve 30% just through tighter engineering of the systems, without really affecting design. To get beyond 30%, the geometry needs to be affected. The challenge is to get architects and engineers speaking a common language. For example, an architect says design and an engineer says geometry, but they both mean the same thing.

The speaker continued by highlighting some information from American Colligate Schools of Architecture (ACSA). It shows that ACSA think that energy analysis is the most important thing that needs to be understood by graduating students but that architecture schools and current curriculum are not prepared and/or not qualified to teach it.

International Green Construction Codes are coming. This is an evolutionary change. Green building codes will force us to do energy modeling.

An energy modeler should be like a spec writer, every project needs one. They might be dedicated on a large project or serving a few smaller projects, they might be internal or external consultant, but they need to be there.

Architects need to understand what is behind energy reports. The underlying assumptions made by energy modelers are unknown to architects. This needs to change.

Next the speaker highlighted some of the related industries activates. First, the ASHRAE presidents term theme: Modeling a Sustainable World. Under development by ASHRAE is a 50% AEDG for Large Hospitals which should be out in May 2012. This is another in the series of AEDG for both 30% and 50% efficiency over ASHRAE 90.1.

Next, the New Building Institute's Outcome-Based Energy Codes (of course there are liability concerns here). How do we ensure owners use the building the way the energy model predicted?

Finally, the AIA is developing a document called Practioner's Guide to Using Energy Modeling in the Design Process. This should help architects understand more about what energy modeling is and means.

The second speaker was Maurya McClintock of the Facade Group. Maurya talked about the tools that are currently available. She highlighted the most common ones including eQUEST, EnergyPlus, IES, EnergyPro (CA) and Comcheck. She also spoke briefly about the ongoing development of a graphical user interface for EnergyPlus and Radiance and the ability to import IFC files into EnergyPlus from Revit.

The next speaker was Nicholas Long from NREL.  NREL develops OpenStudio. He demonstrated this EnergyPlus plug-in for SketchUp. He highlighted the Photo Match feature of SketchUp for getting started quickly in making an energy model of an existing building. He also showed how to quickly turn a SketchUp model used for design into an energy model using a copy/paste method. The demonstration was a very simple box which left me wondering about how well it would work with a well developed model produced by a designer.

In addition, Long spoke about some of the new developments that are being worked on for OpenStudio. These include a basic HVAC graphical design tool, guides and tutorials, gbXML and IFC import to OpenStudio. Finally he talked about the development of a NREL Building Component Library. Components could be customized, configured and saved on the web. Each component would have unique URL so as to be able to share components with others via web hyperlink.

2011 AIA Convention - Series

This year I had the privilege of attending the AIA National convention in New Orleans.  Overall it was very interesting and informative.  I learned a few new things and was reinforced in my knowledge of some other topics.  In addition, I connected with some colleagues, consultants, friends and even a couple classmates.  I believe a good time was had by all.

In an effort to share some of the new stuff I learned, the next series of posts here will be the notes from the various sessions I attended.  These entries will not represent my usual writing style because I am transcribing my own shorthand notes.  These may feel somewhat disjoint when written into text.  I will, however, attempt to glue some of these ideas together by giving my general sense of the message and interpretation of the key points of the session.  Please enjoy (or ignore).  ;o)

Vasari 2.0 Just Released

Check out the new features here.  Also check out their project page here.  Note that this version is based on Revit 2012.  Also note that it does not expire until December 31, 2011.  Super cool stuff!!

Rainfall Data

Where can I find rainfall data for my project?

Because TMY weather files do not contain rain fall data, it is necessary to go find this for your project. One of the quickest, easiest places to find it is at www.weather.com.

1. Search for your location
2. Click Month tab
3. At bottom of monthly planner, click Averages
4. scroll down to see Average Precipitation chart

Hint: transcribing the data into the Ecotect Weather Tool, change the data to metric by clicking Metric at the top of the table.

Function Matters for Shading

Now, I’ve been using Revit for a long time.  And just when I think I know a thing or two about it, I get slapped in the face with something new.  Maybe this has been around for a while, I don’t know.  But recently, I have been digging deeper into gbXML exporting and workflows between Revit and energy analysis tools, and today I discovered a tasty little tidbit that was most interesting, if not a little confusing.  So for your reading pleasure, I offer you the following.

Function

There are a number of system families in Revit that have a Type Parameter called “Function.”  For years, I ignored this little setting.  Superstitiously, I would modify it when I made new wall types, but I didn’t really know what would happen if I didn’t.  Well now I do…at least a little.

I was digging deeper into the meaning of Sliver Tolerance and it’s affect on the gbXML file and subsequent Ecotect model.  I had made an interior shaft and was studying it. (I know what you’re thinking, “Wow, I wish I had his life. It’s so exciting!!).

When I looked at the analytical surfaces, I saw what I expected to see.

Then, I haphazardly swapped out a standard interior partition for an exterior brick wall.  I expected to see the same image again.  Well, wouldn’t ya know, the next time I looked at the analytical surfaces in my gbXML preview window, I saw a little piece of something poking up.

I completed the export process and dropped the gbXML file into Ecotect.  Sure enough, that little surface, even though it is under the roof, was assigned to the External Shading zone.

Experimentation

So now I start down the rabbit hole. 

First, I put a room in the attic space.  As soon as a room object was touching the wall, it turned into an Exterior Wall surface.  In addition, all of the interior partitions stopped being ignored.  They showed up as  Interior Wall surfaces, now that a room was touching them.  (I should note at this point that all walls in this little building extend up and are attached to the roof).  This was the behavior I expected, so before continuing on, I deleted the room.

Next, I started changing the Function parameter to the various options and viewing the results in the Export gbXML dialog.  The values of Exterior, Foundation, Retaining Wall and Soffit, all acted the same.  Interior and Core-Shaft did not, they were ignored.

I was half way down the rabbit hole at this point, so I decided to continue to see what I could find.

Shading Surfaces

I know now that walls, whose Function is set to Exterior, Foundation, Retaining and Soffit, all produce Shading Surfaces when they are set as Room Bounding and not adjacent to any rooms. 

In addition to walls, floors also have the Function parameter.  The values are limited to just Interior or Exterior.  If a floor’s Function is set to Exterior, if it is room bounding, and if it is not adjacent to any rooms then it will be exported as a shading surface.

Note that you must have your Export Complexity set in the Export gbXML dialog to “Complex with Mullions and Shading Surfaces” to get all of these to show up.  Depending on the size of your model, this may result in a slow export.

No Function

There are some other objects that do not have the Function parameter but still create shading surfaces in the gbXML.  These are Roofs and Curtain Wall Mullions. Roofs make sense.  Curtain Wall Mullions make sense.  But what about mullions in regular window families?

I tried to add an object in a window family to act as a light shelf spanning from interior to exterior.  I set the subcategory to Frame/Mullion.  Sadly, I discovered that gbXML does not recognize that subcategory as a shading surface like it does the curtain wall mullions.

So apparently, you must create your light shelves in Revit out of floors or roofs (or ceilings on the inside).  However, beware that as soon as you project a room bounding object into a space, you get all sorts of craziness…

like voids and exterior walls disappearing.  Notice that there is no Exterior Wall surface above where the roof cuts into the inside of the building.

At this point, I don’t have any good suggestions on how to do light shelves.  If someone out there does, please comment below.

In Conclusion

I found the bottom of the rabbit hole!  I can’t go any further right now.  However, along the way, I figured out some cool new stuff that can improve the quality of my gbXML exports.  It was good exercise crawling down that rabbit hole.  Sadly, I didn’t see any cute fuzzy bunnies or that waskely wabbit. (Elmer Fudd)

Ironically, when I bottomed out, I started looking in the help menu and found this on the new WikiHelp that Autodesk is doing now for 2012 products.  I also found this helpful, although I don’t think it is quite accurate.  In any case, I hope this has been useful.  Stay tuned for more coming soon.

Conceptual Energy Analysis in Revit (8 of 8)

Well, this is it.  The cone of silence is coming off.  Now, my mother always said, if you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all.  In addition, I have always felt that “the truth” is no excuse for hurting someone’s feelings.  So with those two things in mind, I will make the following entry.

It has been a number of months since my last post.  In that time I have been learnin’ me some stuff.  I have been learnin’ that there are some super smart people in my company that know a whole lot about energy modeling and energy analysis.  I have also learnt that there are standards, protocols and procedures that are industry wide in the area of energy modeling.  So with my newly found learnin’, I have a couple comments on the Revit Conceptual Analysis tool.

Zones

First, let’s talk about zones.  The automatic zoning does not follow standards.  I am not going to quote chapter and verse of where the discrepancies are, but I do know that this is right..

and this is not right.

The automatic perimeter zones do not stay at the corners of the geometry as is dictated by industry practices.

Other Stuff

There are some other issues that need to be addressed before this is going to be a good automated tool.  I don’t really feel like listing them all.  Suffice to say that before embarking on any preliminary energy analysis using the CEA tool, be sure you are aware of the energy modeling industry standards for modeling and setting up zones.  Some good references are ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2007 (I-P Edition) Page 179 and Commercial Buildings Energy Modeling Guidelines and Procedures, RESNET Publication 2010-001.  This is not all inclusive, but it is a good place to start.

In Conclusion

This has been a fun series.  I have learned me a ton of stuff…my head hurts ‘cause it’s so full.  I think I will continue to write on Revit CEA, now that 2012 is out.  I will probably write some on Ecotect, Green Building Studio and gbXML. 

Also, I will be attending the AIA Convention in a couple weeks in New Orleans.  I am planning to blog about all of the classes and events I will be attending.  Lots of stuff about AIA TAP and BIM and sustainability.  So come back and check me out soon. 

Conceptual Energy Analysis inside Revit (7 of ?)

As I sit here listening to Let it Snow on my IPod and enjoying a peppermint candy cane chunk, my mind wanders…what is in that really big present under the tree with my name on it…elves pointy ears must never get cold since they are never tucked into their pointy hats…how do I customize the properties of surfaces and zones in Revit CEA?  Weird?  I don’t think so.  It’s Christmas…why shouldn’t I be thinking about elves?  Merry Christmas!

In the last post, we talked about how to customize the zones and glazing on our mass model using geometry.  There was a lot to cover and by the time we got to the end, we had all run out of steam.  So we didn’t talk about the other way to customize, by adjusting the analysis properties of individual surfaces and zones.  So let’s get into it now.

First things to know is that to adjust surfaces or zones you need to have the appropriate Show Mass option selected.

Surfaces

There are a lot of new kinds of sub-categories courtesy of the CEA tool.  You can see them by expanding the Mass category in the Object Styles.  All but one of them are related to surfaces.  You get just one guess as to which one is not related.

To access the surfaces of your model, you need to switch your view to Show Mass Surface Types.  Once you get your model showing surfaces, the Tab key on your keyboard will be your buddy.  Use it to toggle through the different surfaces.  Now find and pick on Mass Exterior Wall and check out what is available in the properties palette. 

To access the customizable fields you will need to change the Values parameter from By Energy Settings to By Surface.  Now you can adjust the glazing and shading.  You can also change the Conceptual Constructions which allows you to affect things like the R-value, unit density and heat capacity.

Now tab to pick a window on your surface.  Oh, huh.  Weird.  All the windows on the surface are picked.  So now you can change the Conceptual Constructions for the glazing types for a surface.  But you can’t change it per window.  I hope that will be fixed in the future.

If you keep moving around and tabbing you can find the other surfaces like Mass Roof, Mass Interior Wall and Mass Floor, each of which will allow you to change various settings.  This is how you customize your surfaces.

And finally, on surfaces, if you happen to figure out how to make a Mass Opening, please let me know.  I have tried a bunch of different ways to see if I can generate a Mass Opening but with no luck.

Zones

Just like with surfaces, to be able to customize your zones, you need to be sure you can see and select them.  To do this, change to Show Mass Zones and Shades.  Now I don’t know why it says Shades.  I can see the Shades (as in window shade projections) in both the Show Mass Surface Types and Show Mass Zones and Shades.  Maybe the word Shades should be removed.  Or maybe I am just splitting hairs or candy canes.

Now that I can see my zones, I can pick one and check out what is customizable in the Properties palette.  Not as much as for the surfaces, but you can change the space type.  This allows you to customize your zones to have different energy use values than the default building type set in the Energy Settings dialog.  To see what values change, check out the Reference for Conceptual Energy Analysis under Space Type Data.  There you will find 125 different space types and associated energy use data.

One last thing on the zone properties.  In case you haven't been following this series, you should not try to change the Graphical Appearance of a zone.  Or at least if you do, don’t try to change it back to By Surface Type.  For more info see my earlier post here.

Well that’s all I have discovered regarding customizing your energy model.  I hope you have been able to glean something.  And if you have something to share back, I would love to hear it.  I am all about the rigorous exchange of ideas.

And if I don’t write again in the next couple weeks, some seasonal wishes for you.  May you get everything you want for Christmas, except for one thing so you can have something to wish for next Christmas.  May you eat enough Christmas dinner but not so much your shirt and pants pop open (this isn’t Thanksgiving ya know!). 

And finally, may you find someone less fortunate than you and help them out, so you can get that true Christmas feeling in your heart.  Food, clothes, shelter, shoulder.  If you have it and they don’t, share!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Conceptual Energy Analysis inside Revit (6 of ?)

Everyone likes the word ‘custom’.  It is on of those words that has increased the value of countless, otherwise mundane items.  It makes the item feel special, unique and individually tailored.  And anyone can us it.   See what happens when it is added to everyday words.  Custom Shoes, Custom Car, Custom Paper, Custom Design (one of architect’s favorites).  But does it work in Revit.  Do you get the same feeling when you read:  Custom Energy Model?  Yeah, me neither.  So we don’t feel the same about a Custom Energy Model as we might a custom suit, but let’s try it on and see how it fits (see what I did there).

Customizing the Energy Model

There are three basic ways to customize your energy model in Revit.  The first way is through geometry by creating custom zones and fenestration.  The second way is through the analysis properties of individual surfaces and zones.  Finally, the third way is to adjust the graphical appearance of each individual zone or surface.  Although this last one sounds good in theory, it does not work well.  You can check out my previous post “Hey Doc, it hurts when I do this…”.  In addition to this issue, I discovered that if you change the graphical appearance of an analytical surface to anything other than By Construction, you cannot get the graphical appearance back to By Construction.  Oh sure, it says in the parameter value “By Construction” but the actual graphical appearance in the modeling window is still whatever the last material was.  I have another support request into Autodesk for this.

Geometry for Custom Zones

But let’s re-focus and talk about what does work.  It is actually quite cool to be able to use the auto-magical zone tool.  In talking to a few engineers and energy modelers, the zoning that is produced by the CEA tool is much more realistic than what is required for a Revit gbXML export.  Five zones per level is more like what the engineers want to work with, instead of a zone for every room in the building.  But sometimes the way the zones work out is funky, so sometimes it is better to create your zones more deliberately.  It is really quite simple.  You just need to think about creating a mass for each zone you want.  The best way to do this is to create your overall mass building shape.  Then for every place you want a zone, you create another mass and subtract it from the overall mass using the Solid-Cut-Solid tool.

 

Once you finish your mass, go to the Energy Settings and check the Create Energy Model checkbox.  Be sure to set your Core Offset to 0’ and uncheck Divide Perimeter Zones.  Now click OK and check out the zones in your model.  You will have one zone per mass per floor that the mass intersects.  You can see this by selecting various zones and using Hide/Isolate to expose them as shown below.

Talking to your energy modelers or engineers when doing this will really go a long ways towards getting a better model for analysis that they will not have to fiddle with as much.

Geometry for Custom Fenestration

The next major way to affect your energy model through geometry is by doing custom glazing.  It is really nice to use the Target Percentage Glazing parameter in the Energy Settings dialog to set your glazing automatically for you.  And I think that at the conceptual stage this is probably the best thing to do, but you can make your own glazing layout using some new drawing features in the Conceptual Massing environment.

These new options appear when editing a mass in the options bar when you start the draw command (either line or rectangle) and check 3D Snapping (as shown).  They allow you to draw on the surface of your mass.  Now, in order for the CEA to know that these are windows you’re drawing and not just lines on the surface of your mass, you must have “Make surface from closed loops” and “Sketch on Surface” checked.  So, what do these three options do?  David Light has a very good blog entry on their function here.  But suffice to say they allow you to draw glazing on the surface of your mass.  Like so (showing mass surfaces)…

As you play around with this you will get the feel for it.  It can be very useful.  But it can also be a little frustrating to try to draw something regular on an irregular surface.  But give it a try.

It is important to point out that you can combine the custom glazing with the Target Percentage Glazing parameter.  However the results are very weird.

This is what it looks like when I go into the Energy Settings dialog and set the Target Percentage Glazing to 50%.  The little windows that run up the sides of the large custom glazing areas are what Revit added.  As you can obviously see, the glazed area is far more than 50% of the wall area as set in the target parameter.  What this means is that Revit does not take into account the custom glazing in the target percentage calculation.  In fact, it is very difficult to see how the math is being done.  So when using both % glazing and custom glazing, Revit sees the custom glazing shape and adjusts the automatic glazing around it but does not take the custom glazing into account when looking at the target percentage glazing.  Target percentage glazing is only calculated by the automatic glazing feature.

Wow!  So that was a lot longer than I thought it would be.  I will pick up with the other way to customize - through the adjusting of analysis properties of individual surfaces and zones – with the next post.  For now, I will leave you with one of my all time favorite quotes.  I don’t know who said it but for sure they were smarter than me.

“Heavy emphasis on the “how-to” guarantees the loss of the critical “why”.

CEA at PRUG

I had the privilege of presenting at the Portland Revit User Group this past Monday on the new Conceptual Energy Analysis in Revit.  I would like to thank Kevin Janik, PRUG President, and his board, for the opportunity.  The reception was very warm even if the weather wasn’t.  As an extra bonus, I learned something new from the engineers in the room (see correction to CEA series 5 of ?).  Just in case anyone is interested, you can download a PDF copy of my slide show here.

Hey Doc, it hurts when I do this…

 

It always hurts when Revit crashes on you.  It’s a little like a good friend letting you down.  They didn’t really betray you, but they took the last cold beer and didn’t put more in the fridge and so you are just a bit disappointed and a little hurt. 

This is what I am feeling today.  Both Revit Conceptual Energy Analysis tool and the brand new Vasari (and on Facebook) technology preview, seem to have the same unfortunate flaw.  Now maybe it is just my computer.  Maybe someone can tell me.  Try this and tell me if you get the same results.

Make your conceptual mass, assign floors, geographic location, check the Create Energy Model check box and click OK.  Next, in a 3D view, switch to Show Mass Zones and Shades.  Now, pick one of the zones and in the Properties Palette, click on the nugget for Graphical Appearance.

In the Materials dialog box, choose By Category.  Now choose that same zone, click the nugget again and change it back to By Surface Type.  If your Revit is acting like mine you will get this.

I have tried this with various templates in both Revit Architecture and Revit MEP with the same results.  I was playing around with Vasari and on a hunch, tried the same thing there…with the same results.  The wonderful thing about a reliably repeatable error is that it should be easier to fix or at least diagnose.  To that end I have submitted a Subscription Support request and provided journal files for review by the support gurus.

I am hoping they will buy me a six-pack…or at least restock the fridge…that’s what a true friend would do.  ;0)

3D Views for Everyone!

Sometimes the best new features Autodesk comes out with are the undocumented ones.  Like this one I just learned about from Inside the Factory.  From these fine gents, I learned that within a work-share enable project, Revit makes each user their own default 3D view.  Check out the full story here:  Its the Little Things - Default 3D Views.