With the expanding interest in energy-efficient building design, whole building energy simulation programs are increasingly employed in the design process to help architects and engineers determine which design strategies save energy and are cost-effective. The purpose of this research was to investigate the potential of these programs to perform whole building energy analysis, and compare the results with the actual building energy performance. The research was conducted by simulating energy usage of a fully functional building using Vasari/Green Building Studio (GBS) and Sefaira, which are aimed for early architectural design process. The results were compared with annual utility data of the building to identify the degree of closeness with which simulation results match the actual energy usage of the building. The results indicate that the energy modeling results from Vasari/GBS are much higher than the actual, while results from Sefaira are comparable to actual building energy usage (slightly higher). It is crucial to understand the limitations of different tools in order to successfully integrate building performance analysis in early stages of the design process, as well as capabilities of different software programs for modeling different energy-efficiency design strategies.

As energy and other natural resources are being depleted, it has become clear that technologies and strategies that allow us to maintain our satisfaction with interior environments while consuming less of these resources are major objectives of contemporary facade design. Sustainable Facades focuses on the strategies and approaches for designing sustainable, high-performance building facades, and provides technical guidance for architects and designers.

This paper discusses relationships between research, architectural design and technology, and provides an overview of lessons learned regarding adoption and implementation of energyefficient advanced building technologies. The introductory part discusses activities and research program at Perkins+Will Tech Lab. The objectives of the program are to advance the performance of architectural projects, improve decision-making processes, and to inspire innovation through systematic investigations of building performance and emerging building technologies. Using two specific case studies, we present some of the barriers that are currently present for the wider adoption of advanced, energy-efficiency building technologies. The first case study discusses research on the performance and implementation of double skin facades, while the second case study discusses life-cycle performance and cost analysis of building integrated photovoltaic system. In the conclusion, we offer some recommendations how these barriers can be addressed.

High-performance, energy-efficient buildings require a different design approach than conventional buildings. Building performance predictions, use of simulations and modeling, research-based and data-driven design process are the key elements in the design of high-performance buildings. This article discusses relationships between building performance simulations and design, as well as the role of building performance research in architectural practice. The first part of the article discusses Perkins+Will Tech Lab, its research focus and research activities relating to the design of high-performance buildings. The second part of the article focuses on the role of performance simulations, best methods for integrating analysis procedures with the design, as well as case studies.

This article discusses a collaborative research and teaching project between the University of Cincinnati, Perkins+Will’s Tech Lab, and the University of North Carolina Greensboro. The primary investigation focuses on the simulation, optimization, and generation of architectural designs using performance-based computational design approaches. The projects examine various design methods, including relationships between building form, performance and the use of proprietary software tools for parametric design.

This article discusses a research/teaching collaboration between Perkins+Will and the University of Cincinnati and a unique design studio that was initiated as part of this collaboration. The studio investigated the relationships between performance-driven design, computational design techniques, integration of analysis tools with the design process and digital fabrication for a building facade retrofit. The studio project was an existing cold storage facility, which is being converted into a commercial office building. The objective of this collaboration was to integrate building performance simulations and modeling to drive design decisions, to use parametric design tools for exploration of building skin design and to investigate fabrication/prototyping methods for testing constructability and material choices. We discuss the design process as well as the results of this collaboration. We also conclude with final remarks regarding the best practices for collaborative research efforts between de-sign practice and academic research institutions.