BUILDING DESIGN MODELLING
LEARNING TOOL T
A new free tool that combines the CIBSE admittance method with a user-friendly front-end aims to make building physics more accessible to non-specialists and students in the construction sector. Tom De Saulles explains
he current consultation on Part L 2013 will undoubtedly produce plenty of feedback. But whatever the outcome, the direction of travel
will continue to be underpinned by the ‘fabric first’ approach, which is central to government policy. Ensuring the fabric is made to work hard
The PDA tool allows the user to create a room and experiment with its design to see how the internal temperature and loads change in response to ‘what if?’ questions
does of course require a good understanding of building physics, which is typically limited to one or two members of the design team. But, with an increasing emphasis on fabric energy efficiency, a basic working knowledge of the subject would perhaps be beneficial to all involved in designing and procuring buildings. With this in mind, and to make building
physics more accessible to professionals and students alike, a new modelling tool called the Passive Design Assistant (PDA) has been produced, aimed specifically at educational and early stage design needs.
What can the PDA do? The PDA allows the user to create a room and experiment with its design, to see how the internal temperature and loads change in response to ‘what if?’ questions relating to orientation, glazing, thermal mass, ventilation, and so on. The consortium behind the PDA comprises Arup (project
60 CIBSE Journal March 2012
leader), the Concrete Centre and AHMM architects, with a financial contribution from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB). In addition to being free to download,
a key feature that sets the PDA apart is its front-end, which has been specifically configured to allow the user to simultaneously view input and output data, helping highlight connections between cause and effect. This is achieved with a permanently visible graph of the hourly operative temperature or heating/cooling load across the chosen design day. The graph is updated almost
instantaneously in response to user inputs – made possible by use of the CIBSE admittance method, which is capable of performing a very rapid thermal analysis of the design. The near real-time feedback helps enhance the overall user experience and the educational value of the tool. The interface also includes an interactive
3D depiction of the room to help visualise its form, orientation and fenestration. Other features of the PDA include the ability to: l Directly compare the performance of up to four designs;
l Use sliders and spinners for much of the data input;
l Choose from a large range of UK locations or input user defined climate
www.cibsejournal.com
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