OUTLINE

Goal:

• To maximize building performance and effective choice & application of exterior materials by implementing analysis tools from Autodesk’s program Ecotect.
• To become familiar with the basics in Ectotect and couple this with my existing knowledge of Revit to produce better design projects in the future.
• For these goals to be achieved, SketchUp models must first be successfully loaded into Revit. Therefore, part of this project analysis also deals with the process of moving from SketchUp to Revit, and the ease or difficulty that may follow.
• Specifically will only be looking at climate basics: sun path, shading, and potentially winds. In the future I’d like to use this to analyze natural and artificial lighting for completed interior spaces.

Questions:

• What is the best way to load the existing model from SketchUp into Revit? There are three parts to the model: The specific building we wish to analyze, the blocks around the site, which include a new stadium/area and baseball park, and the site/topography on which the building and the surrounding buildings sit.
• Therefore: Is it best to load the full model in three parts? Or is it best to load the large model all at once? How the model is brought in may determine how the different elements read by both Revit and Ecotect.
• How seamlessly is the sharing of information between Revit and Ecotect, both of which are Autodesk programs?
• Will Ecotect be relatively idiot-proof to use? What will the Ecotect analysis tell me that I did not already know or anticipate given my understanding of sun patterns and shading?

METHOD:

• Follow Ecotect provided tutorials and tutorials found posted online
• Research & incorporate knowledge found from case studies
• 3D models of the city of Toledo, OH and the proposed re-design for the existing abandoned Owens Corning Glass tower made in Google SketchUP will be brought into Autodesk Revit. From there, the proposed re-design and site will be loaded into Autodesk’s Ecotect program.
• Building and site analysis will then be conducted in Ecotect.

EXPECTED OUTCOME:

• As architecture students we learn about the path of the sun and where and how to generally expect it to affect out design. However the role that natural lighting, winds and other natural elements play are larger than the basics we are introduced to. These factors play an overwhelming part on the effective design and realistic use of a building and its interior and exterior spaces.
•  For some, like myself, understanding this and being able to apply it to a site or design can be two very different things. I therefore anticipate that the aid of a program to help me visually and perhaps numerically understand these elements as applied to a specific site will help me create take my projects and designs to another level. 
• Expect it to help me understand where the natural light of the specific site is most strong and how to best capture and use natural light in the design process/how to create a design that will use natural light and the site most effectively.
• While in reality the existing building sits on a very slightly sloping site, the model is placed on a flat one. While this may slightly affect the results of the analysis, overall I do not expect it to make a difference.
• The existing building, minus a brick faced service core on the south end of the building, is all glass. I foresee the program suggesting a either various types of glass depending on the exposure of a surface, or suggesting more solid materials for the façade in some areas.