Cloud-based Decision Support System for Building Lifecycle Decision Making at Early Design Phase

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Akonovia is an experienced consultant company, specialized in building energy efficiency, and the first company in Québec to carry out mandates of energy simulation by using BIM (Building Information Modeling). To better guide architects and project managers in selection of the right choices, the company needs a decision support system (DSS), capable of estimating the lifecycle costs and benefits associated with several mechanical, architectural and lighting alternative scenarios, using energy simulations, at early design stages. With this aim, a partnership was formed between Akonovia and the PI at Concordia University, and a prototype of the required DSS was developed through an NSERC Engage project. The current CRD application proposes to expand the findings in the previous stage and upgrade the DSS prototype into an operational system.Three major research and development objectives (RDO's) are set for this CRD project: (RDO1) Automation of alternative generation and simulation with EnergyPlus engine and OpenStudio; (RDO2) Automation of whole lifecycle economic analysis for early-stage design alternatives; and (RDO3) Providing design teams with a decision support system which integrates well with BIM design authoring tools and provides analytics regarding lifecycle economy of design alternatives, at early stage design phases. These objectives will be achieved through five major tasks: (1) Seamless alternative generation and simulation; (2) Extension to external cost databases; (3) BIM Integration; (4) Advanced energy-based cost models; and (5) Output optimization and Visualization.The project is scheduled for 12 months, in two major phases: Phase I-research and development (months 1 through 10, with three milestones, at the end of Months 5, 8 and 10); and Phase II-validating, testing and debugging (months 10 through 12, with one milestone at the end of Month 12). This CRD project will recruit and train four high quality personnel: two PhD students (hired for the entire 12 months of the project); and two Master of Engineering students (to be hired for one semester each).