Chapter 4 recap
Designing with the model
The key takeaways from this chapter’s 3 lessons.
Analysis from the model
- Each analysis needs its own simplified view of the design: spaces and surfaces for energy, members and loads for structure.
- Model spaces and room bounding correctly; most energy exports fail because rooms are missing or open.
- Record which design model version each analysis used, and rerun it after relevant changes.
- Analysis results come back as decisions in the design, not as a separate model nobody updates.
Embodied carbon from the model
- Embodied carbon = quantity of each material × its carbon factor, summed over the building.
- The model's quantities are only useful if each element has a material that maps to a factor.
- Early, rough figures change designs; late, precise figures only report them.
- Always state the scope (which elements, which life stages) and the source of the factors.
Design options and fixity
- Explore options in your own work-in-progress; share only the chosen option, or each option clearly named.
- At each stage, say what is fixed (grid, levels, cores) and what may still move.
- Others can build on fixed information; they should only follow moving information.
- A change to something declared fixed is a formal change, logged and communicated.