Building Design Parameter Optimization for GHG Emission Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The integration of climate change considerations into architectural design at an early stage is hindered by the lack of low-carbon building references, time-consuming environmental assessments, uncertainties about design at early stages, non-reproducible results, and the inability of current methods to handle a large number of design parameters, leading to suboptimal GHG emission performance.
Innovation Solution
A method that uses sensitivity analysis and data visualization to provide a database of design alternatives with predicted GHG emissions, allowing designers to explore and understand the impact of multiple design parameters on building performance, enabling instantaneous feedback and optimizing GHG emission targets through a cascading target approach.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a detailed life cycle assessment (LCA) is performed to accurately evaluate GHG emissions, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the building into standardized macro-components (walls, roofs, floors, foundations) with predefined LCA parameters. This segmentation allows the LCA process to focus on evaluating specific component types rather than every individual element, significantly reducing assessment time while maintaining accuracy through standardized emission factors for each component category.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms detailed LCA parameters into simplified performance indicators that can be quickly calculated from basic building data. By changing the parameter representation from detailed material-level data to aggregated component-level performance metrics, the system achieves fast GHG emission estimates without sacrificing essential assessment accuracy.
2Loss of time
If the scope of LCA analysis is simplified by reducing detail resolution to enable early stage assessment, then loss of time is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates with results deviating by up to 30%
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a hierarchical segmentation approach where buildings are divided into macro-components that are further segmented into standardized element types. This multi-level segmentation allows early-stage assessment using aggregated data while preserving the option to drill down to detailed levels later, maintaining accuracy without requiring full detail resolution at every stage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary LCA assessments using standardized macro-component templates that capture the most significant emission sources. These preliminary results provide timely feedback for design decisions, while the standardized structure allows for later refinement and updating as design details become available, progressively improving precision without delaying early assessments.
3Adaptability or versatility
If designers are allowed to define their own system boundaries and choose LCA databases to maintain design freedom, then adaptability is improved, but non-reproducibility of results increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal LCA framework with standardized macro-components and consistent calculation methodologies that work across different building types and design stages. This universal approach ensures reproducibility by eliminating variability in system boundaries and database choices, while still allowing designers to adapt the framework to specific projects through parameter customization rather than methodological changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent separates可调 parameters (design-specific building characteristics) from fixed parameters (standardized LCA methodologies and emission factors). Designers can freely adjust parameter values to reflect their design choices, while the fixed computational framework and standardized component definitions ensure that results remain reproducible and comparable across different designs and designers.
4Device complexity
If current design exploration methods quantify only a limited number of design parameters to a few levels, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to handle large number of design parameters and achieve optimal GHG emission performance is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the building performance evaluation into independent macro-component assessments, each with its own set of relevant design parameters. This segmentation allows the system to handle many parameters efficiently by processing them in modular units rather than as a single complex evaluation, maintaining computational simplicity while expanding parameter coverage to achieve better GHG optimization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a new dimension to design parameter evaluation by introducing standardized macro-component classifications that organize parameters hierarchically. This dimensional organization allows designers to work with detailed parameter sets without increasing apparent complexity, as parameters are structured in logical groups that can be evaluated systematically to achieve optimal GHG performance.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention concerns a method for generating technical design solutions satisfying a given performance target for a building. The method comprises: selecting a design model for the building; selecting a first set of design parameters from a first database; qualifying and/or quantifying the design parameters in the first set; generating a first set of design parameter combinations from the first set of design parameters; attributing the first set of design parameter combinations to the design model to obtain a first set of design alternatives; accessing a second database to determine the impact of the first set of design alternatives on a performance of the building; and ranking the first set of design parameters according to their contribution to the performance of the building.