Bes-based Architectural Mass Optioneering. Using LadyBug+HoneyBee.
NOTE: The available algorithms are designed to work with Honeybee & Ladybug 0.0.64 (Legacy) or Honeybee & Ladybug 1.5.0. Pay attention to download the correct version. Using different versions could cause problems. In that case it is strongly recommended to rebuild the patches with the owned version.
BES BASED ARCHITECTURAL MASS OPTIONEERING.
Using Grasshopper /LadyBug+HoneyBee
Optioneering is a methodology of complex decision-making processes, recently extended to the Design, where the solution of a specific problem is pursued, in their different aspects (multi-attribute) and different objectives (multi-objective), through comparative evaluation of alternatives – possibly formalizable – and from which choices ‘emerge’ from shared measurements and metrics. In this methodology, besides the techniques for criteria, benchmarks and values definition, a central role is represented by problem modeling and – in a more pertinent way– by simulation that, in architectural design and in the Early Stage of its process coincides with the Conceptual Mass Simulation (CMS). The propagation of computational technologies in architectural design, flanked by the simplification of interfaces for algorithmic programming of models and for the representation of simulation results has progressively extended CMS applications increasing its effectiveness and operational efficiency as well.
Nowadays, in a parametric computational, Optioneering can take place through systematic explorations (also automatically in the case of Generative Design) over a large number of alternatives in an extremely more effective way than conventional methods since it is faster, broader and based on the evidence of information and measurable performance data.
This page contains some tools designed to introduce computational technologies in the Early Design Stage and, more in detail, the Building Energy Simulation (BES) to run thermal evaluation and consequent optimization on architectural forms at a conceptual mass level. The following algorithms are coded using the Grasshopper visual programming environment and its HoneyBee + LadyBug libraries. For this simulation is required to have developed the previous modeling and simulation activities that addressed the knowledge of the climatic determinants of the site and the definition of environmental requirements fitting the users’ thermo-hygrometric comfort.
Building Energy Simulation using LB+HB old Legacy release (0.0.64)
2.0. Thermal energy demand on preliminary mass model.
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2.1. Passive masses thermal vocation: the 3D Building Thermal Map – PATCH DOWNLOAD – [Explanatory video on this patch – eng | another in english from 2022 class (pass: PdyfJE84) ]
This patch makes it possible to identify, under ‘passive’ condition, thermal behaviours of architectural masses, in which a building has been manually disassembled.
In order to run this evaluation properly, it is required to observe the following recommendations:
1.GEOMETRY Design your building with simple masses in metric unit (!). Since Energy Plus does not work well with non-convex casting surfaces it will report errors. Although this problem will not affect the thermal analysis (only the lighting analysis) it is advisable to break down all the volumes into convex by breaking it up into a set of smaller component surfaces that are each convex. For example, an L shape should be decomposed into two simple volumes. Moreover and considering the purpose of this program, it is recommended to break down the generic architectural volume into meaningful thermal blocks so as to obtain a three-dimensional mapping, that, at the end of the subsequent computational step, will be qualified in its thermal characteristics (3D-Building Thermal Map). This mapping, will represent the basis on which it will be possible to place the functional spaces that, by their requirements, best fit to the thermal blocks vocation. To obtain the 3D-Building Thermal Map one option is to decompose each floor in perimetral and internal volumes considering the sun penetration into the room and the total width/length of the floor. Typically the sun radiation is no more than 1.5 x the glazing height and consequently its depth can be assumed around 2-3 meter. As a result, it can be decomposed by two / one volumes, in case of skinny building, or three volumes with the internal one simulating a corridor in case of bulk building. Then, according to the length of the floor, split the originated volumes into other parts not less than two or three for each. A different strategy can employ, on each floor, the undifferentiated decomposition in blocks of equal dimensions having about 2/3 meters per side in order to obtain a three-dimensional building pixelation.
Once the masses are completed, import them into the Rhinoceros software (or design them directly into this software) and places the building ground floor on the zero level of the Rhino canvas. If the building includes some underground volumes or it rises on pilotis, move the relative floors below or above the zero of the Rhino canvas. Afterwards assign all the volumes to the Brep component of HoneyBee and set these masses using “multiple breps” and “internalize data” so you can delete or hide the architectural volumes in Rhinoceros while preserving masses in Grasshopper. This last action allows you to reopen the Grasshopper file without having to redraw or import them again.
For a more accurate analysis, it is also necessary to consider and import schematic masses representative of the building context!
2.COMPUTATION. Carry out a passive analysis in order to verify the building behavior without any contribution of the HVAC system. To operate in this way the “ISconditioning” node is set to “false” and functional destinations with low internal thermal loads (such as deposits) are assigned by default to each thermal zone. Such setting will allow you to avoid any internal load or other energy source.
Test specific analysis periods setting the hot/cold weeks of the year previously collected in the “Climate and Comfort Simulation” module and read the “Operative temperatures” outputs in order to get the most suitable 3D-Building Thermal Map showing: which is the coldest / hottest thermal zone; where cold / hot thermal zones are located; which is the most critical thermal zone.
2.2. Thermal energy analysis for Conceptual Mass Optioneering. PATCH DOWNLOAD – [Explanatory video on this patch -ita |in english from 2022 lecture (pass:xB7ZYckn)]
This program was designed to evaluate preliminary architectural forms by using: global energy loads, as a criterion of ‘internal’ choice between design alternatives; normalized energy loads (EUI) in order to allow ‘external’ comparison with benchmarks of green metric.In order to run the related energy loads calculation it is required to observe the following recommendations:
1. GEOMETRY. Get the conceptual mass defined in the previous steps (2.2) and assign to the different blocks those functions whose thermo hygrometric requirements, as shown in the 3D-Building Thermal Map, are as close as possible to their own. Alternatively and without having conducted the previous simulations, it is possible to carry out reports of thermal loads anyway by importing a conceptual model of a different architecture. In any case, to simplify the computation it is recommended to group the functional spaces for similar thermal requirements in order to reduce their number. It is also recommended to model corridors and stairs as autonomous architectural volumes which, for their use characteristics, will belong to the category of thermal blocks that tend to be more ‘adaptive’ to environmental conditions (cold blocks in cold climates / warm blocks in warm climates).
For underground masses follow the direction described in the previous step (2.2).
Once the masses are completed, import them into the Rhinoceros software (or design them directly into this software); select all the volumes and assign them to the Brep component of Honeybee. During this action, be sure to set these masses using “multiple breps” and “internalize the data” so you can delete or hide the architectural volumes in Rhinoceros while preserving the mass in Grasshopper. This last action allows you to reopen the Grasshopper file without having to redraw it or import it again.
For a more accurate analysis it is also necessary to consider and import schematic masses representative of the building context.
2. COMPUTATION. Carry out a thermal loads analysis in order to extract the total energy consumption of the building.
To operate in this way check the “ISconditioning” node is set to “True” and assign properly the functional specifications to each mass. Such setting will allow you to obtain different thermal blocks with different characteristics such as people and light density, equipment loads,… For each thermal blocks set their temperature thresholds to start and stop the cooling and heating system according with the comfort levels previously defined using the PMV and PPD methodology in the hygromethric chart analysis (https://comfort.cbe.berkeley.edu/ or http://andrewmarsh.com/software/psychro-chart-web/ ; for a theoretical of description of comfort methodologies see: https://www.simscale.com/blog/2019/09/what-is-pmv-ppd/).
Run the computation through the whole year, read the total energy consumption (KWatt/year) and get the normalised thermal loads (KWatt/Sqm/year) to benchmark the solutions with the Green metric values. Run other alternatives to proceed in the conceptual mass optimization before starting the technological optimization based on alternative solutions for building materials and HVAC system.
Conceptual mass optimisation could also include different alternatives considering the addition of external surfaces and masses with shielding/shading functions.
2.2u. Thermal energy analysis for Conceptual Mass Optioneering for underground or partially underground buildings. PATCH DOWNLOAD – [Explanatory video on this patch ]
This program contains a specific part aimed at including, in the thermal energy calculation, architectural volumes that have one or more walls directly in contact with the ground.
To operate it, follow the directions described in the previous “2.3 Thermal energy demand…” program and set the dedicated part as described in the program.
Building Energy Simulation using LB+HB 1.5.0 release
Building Energy Simulation using LB+HB 1.5.0 release
To use these algorithms you can refer to the explanations and video tutorials described in the previous sections related to the Legacy Libraries
2.3. Simplified Energy Simulation – PATCH DOWNLOAD
This algorithm runs a Whole Building Energy Analysis similar to Revit. It requires very few inputs that parametrically allows to evaluate the energy consumption of the building excluding any differentiation in different zones.
2.4. Analytical Energy Simulation – PATCH DOWNLOAD
This algorithm addresses the energy analysis in separated rooms of the building. It produces visual outputs of the thermal loads in each room split in total and specific thermal loads.
2.5. Analytical Energy Simulation with underground walls – PATCH DOWNLOAD
Using the same structure of the previous analytical algorithm, this one allows to split some rooms in their component walls in order to run an analysis for buildings having some underground walls. The outputs are similar to the previous algorithms.
Custom algorithms
If someone intends to create some specific algorithms addressing particular cases and conditions, it is highly recommended to watch the playlist for LB+HB 1.5.0 at this LINK in the following order:
Basic Building Energy Simulation
1. Honeybee – Energy modeling – Part 2 of 2
Modeling the Energy Mass in detail
2. Honeybee ‘CREATE’ Part 1
3. Honeybee ‘CREATE’ Part 2
3. Honeybee ‘CREATE’ Bonus
LadyBug & HoneyBee in action (energy simulation and many other Q&A topics)
4. Honeybee Live Q&A 001
Advanced Building Energy Simulation step by step
5. Honeybee ‘ENERGY’ from Part 1 to Part 9
link
Energy modeling with Grasshopper. Plugin installation & Tutorials playlist
Quick start with HoneyBee and how to set True North
Grasshopper basics. Tutorials from the program developer
How to set the appropriate analysis period and users’requirements
BREP – Boundaries representation Fundamentals for geometry modeling
How to solve surfaces adjacency and intersection.
Simple Conceptual Mass. Automatic floors and mass thermal zones generation