BENIMPACT Building’s ENvironmental IMPACT evaluator & optimizer

The design methodology which will be defined during BENIMPACT, will allow to carry out an integrated building design process: all the steps required to achieve the design of a green building will be contemporary realized by means of a bunch of analysis tools reciprocally integrated into each other. This approach will significantly innovate traditional ones: in fact, nowadays, each different building design topic is completed independently by different professionals and in different design stages, thus leading to the definition of the building design parameters by means of subsequent steps and to buildings that are not optimal in relation to all the required objectives.
However, now with BENIMPACT, the use of the advanced modeFRONTIER technology will allow to build a suite of integrated applications (the BENIMPACT suite), that interact in a typical design chain process. Figure 1 shows the foreseen architecture of the design suite that will be implemented (in a prototypical release) in BENIMPACT. The shown architecture foresees the cooperation of core modules, databases and service modules (green design solutions and targets setting modules).
In particular, the core modules are the embedded applications of the suite in charge of carrying out the whole calculations and analyses. The multi-objective optimization module is actually the kernel of the whole suite: thanks to the modeFRONTIER functionalities, it will lead the search for the optimal design features of the building, supplying a design environment where all the other applications are integrated.
The geometric modeling module will translate the geometry of the building into a parametric model, able to store information related both to the building shape and materials, components and systems that will constitute the building construction. The energy modeling module will evaluate the energetic consumption of the designed building, taking into account the thermal loads required in order to guarantee predefined indoor comfort levels. The LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) modeling module will calculate the environmental impact of the building during its entire life, and hence also consider the impacts that arise from resources extraction, manufacturing, on-site construction, occupancy/maintenance, demolition and recycling/reuse/disposal. The LCC (Life Cycle Costing) modeling module will evaluate the costs of the building, totaling up in a unique value the complete costs for the building construction, its maintenance, occupancy (i.e. the costs for energy consumption) and demolition.
It is important to note that all the core modules will be software applications (customized or implemented by means of ad-hoc written codes) that will work also in a stand-alone modality in order to allow the validation of each single application. Furthermore, it is possible that, for some particular applications, such as energy modeling, some existing codes will offer the required functionalities: In such cases, freeware tools and open-source codes will be preferred to commercial ones, in order to allow further implementations and improvements by the whole community of practice.
The databases included in the BENIMPACT suite will supply the required input data to all the applications involved. They will store data related to the systems and components of the building constructions and to the energy production systems normally used in buildings (such as boilers, solar and photovoltaic panels, geothermal heat exchangers, etc.). They will also supply technical constraints, derived by the current building laws, and the required meteorological data.
The service modules' green design solutions and target settings will supply border information to the analysis: the former, operating as an expert system, will suggest solutions for the green building design (such as green roofs, natural ventilation, externally ventilated façade, etc.), while the latter will translate, in an engineering format, the design objectives set by the user (for example, the design objective of low energy consumption should be translated, for the sake of the numerical analysis, into a defined value of Watts required per square meter of the building).



EnginSoft strongly believes that the activities which will be carried out in the framework of the BENIMPACT research project will bring benefits to the building trade, thanks to the tuning of brand-new CAE tools that will eventually improve the green building design. Moreover, BENIMPACT will help to protect the environment, it will allow and promote the diffusion of eco-sustainable buildings based on the definition, during the design phase, of the building features that guarantee low-environmental impacts and, at the same time, low life-cycle costs of the building. Last but not least, EnginSoft itself will take advantage of the BENIMPACT research activities: enhancing its knowledge related to green building techniques, the company will be able to expand its market to this emerging sector, offering its engineering consultancy services, specific software and educational program to new clients in in the eco-sustainable business, that seems to be thriving and not suffer from economic downturns.

For futher information, please contact:
Ing. Angelo Messina - R&D Manager
info@enginsoft.it