Building Information Modeling (BIM) is currently creating a paradigm shift in architectural profession, changing the design methods that are used in contemporary architectural practice, as well as the ways in which architectural documentation is prepared. BIM is equivalent to the virtual representation of buildings, rich in information of relational nature. It is an intelligent, model-based process for designing buildings, since building elements, systems, schedules and specifications are stored within a single database, and can be shared among stakeholders [1]. Traditional architectural design documentation (floor-plans, sections, elevations, details) are only a single view of an integrated model, and this aspect is revolutionizing architectural practice.

The objective of this paper is to discuss design methods for sustainable, high-performance facades, and the necessary steps in ensuring that the environmental factors and energy-efficiency strategies are integrated with the design process. The facade is one of the most significant contributors to the energy consumption and the comfort parameters of any building. Control of physical environmental factors (heat, light, sounds) must be considered during the design process, as well as design strategies which improve occupants’ comfort. High-performance facades need to block adverse external environmental effects and maintain internal comfort conditions with minimum energy consumption, and the location and climate become one of the crucial factors in selecting appropriate design strategies. The first part of the paper identifies design methods for high-performance facades, differentiated by climate types. Then, characteristics of sustainable facades and discussion of specific design methods, such as proper treatment of different building orientations, selection of window-to-wall ratio, shading elements, and daylighting methods are presented. Selection of materials and their properties is also discussed, since material characteristics are a very important factor for sustainable facades, and design decisions relating to material properties can greatly influence their performance. The second part of the paper discusses different building performance analysis steps that can assist in the design process, such as energy modeling, daylight modeling, thermal comfort modeling, and heat transfer analysis. The appropriate strategies for incorporating analysis procedures with the design are presented, such as when and how to integrate different software tools, compatibility with BIM design authoring tools, and applications for high-performance facade designs. Finally, two case studies are presented to show how these strategies have been implemented on architectural projects.

Buildings account for about one fifth of the world`s total delivered energy use, and thus methods for reducing energy consumption and carbon emission associated with buildings are crucial elements for climate change mitigation and sustainability. Voluntary challenges, mandates, and, particularly, public institutions have articulated these goals in terms of striving for “net-zero energy” buildings, and mandated measurable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Typically, the definition of net-zero and other energy consumption reduction goals only consider operational energy. By ignoring embodied energy during the entire life-cycle of the building (manufacture, use and demolition of materials and systems), such goals and mandates may drive suboptimal decisions in terms of cost-effective greenhouse gas emission reductions. Many new buildings will require decades of net-zero operational energy consumption to negate climate change and other environmental impacts during the construction process. Additionally, if a new building is part of a portfolio of institutional buildings, even with net-zero energy consumption, the most optimistic scenario is the eventual reduction of emission growth rate to zero. A more productive approach for reducing the life-cycle energy in a building and associated negative environmental impacts may be to focus on retrofitting existing buildings. However, since large investments in existing building stock can be difficult to justify and approve in an institutional context, fixed portions of life-cycle costs also highlight the importance of maximizing the operational energy impact associated with any renovation. This study uses life-cycle analysis to evaluate efficacy of energy retrofits for an existing institutional building located on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus. Using data, energy models, and life-cycle analysis tools for an actual energy retrofit on an existing residential building, this study will show how poor controls and failing to address thermal bridges can affect our model expectations. By developing a process for life cycle based evaluating retrofit options this study will explore the implication of producing an institution-wide negative netenergy growth rate.

This paper discusses the current trends in research coming from practice, particularly focusing on the research efforts of Perkins+Will Building Technology Laboratory (Tech Lab). We discuss the processes, types of research questions, selection of appropriate research methods, and applications of results in design projects. We demonstrate these aspects by examining a specific research project as a casestudy, focusing on the facade energy performance and daylight analysis. Then we discuss the forming of a new non-profit research organization, AREA Research, which was initiated from the existing design practice and the current research activities. The primary objective of this entity is to allow collaborative research efforts between design firms, research laboratories, universities and other research organizations that concentrate on the research relating to the built environment, which may or may not be directly driven by a specific architectural or design project. We discuss the objectives, vision and mission of AREA Research, as well as its organization. These new types of collaborative efforts are aimed to increase visibility of research relating to the built environment, as well as the application of research results in practice.