BIM in Multifamily Design &Construction

In 2014, the National Association of Homebuilders conducted an initial survey about the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in residential construction. They found that BIM had not been widely adopted, but there was interest in future use. Four years later, the authors, Prof. Ghosh Dastider and Matt Jefferies at Washington University in St. Louis used a similar methodology to see what has changed. They found a significant increase in BIM’s application in the multifamily residential industry. Based on data collected from the re-conducted survey, the authors concluded with the future predictions on how use of BIM will accelerate in residential construction market in next few years. Few significant findings indicate increased use of BIM among contractors along with design built firms, as well as during the construction phase and life cycle analysis.

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY RETROFITTING IN MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

The energy performance of an existing building is the amount of energy consumed to meet various needs associated with the standardized use of a building and is reflected in one or more indicators known as Building Energy Performance Indicators(EnPIs).These indicators are distributed amongst six main factors influencing energy con­sumption:climate,building envelope,building services and energy systems,build­ing operation and maintenance,occupants’activities and behaviour,and indoor environmental quality.Any improvement made to either the existing structure or the physical and operational upgrade of a building system that enhances energy per­formance is considered an energy efficiency retrofit.The main goal of this research is to support the implementation of multifamily residential building energy retrofits through expert knowledge consensus on EnPIs for energy efficiency retrofit plan­ning.The research methodology consists of a comprehensive literature review which has identified 35 EnPIs for assessing performance of existing residential buildings,followed by a ranking questionnaire survey of experts in the built-environment to arrive at a priority listing of indicators based on mean rank.This was followed by concordance analysis and measure of standard deviation.A total of 280 experts were contacted globally for the survey,and 106 completed responses were received result­ing in a 37.85%response rate.The respondents were divided into two groups for analysis:academician/researchers and industry practitioners.The primary outcome of the research is a priority listing of EnPIs based on the quantitative data from the knowledge-base of experts from these two groups.It is the outcome of their percep­tions of retrofitting factors and corresponding indicators.A retrofit strategy consists of five phases for retrofitting planning in which the second phase comprises an energy audit and performance assessment and diagnostics.This research substantiates the performance assessment process through the identification of EnPIs.

THE EFFECT OF SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL FACTORS ON OCCUPANTS’BLIND USE BEHAVIORS IN MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

Existing studies show that occupants’behavior contribute to fluctuations in energy consumption of residential units within the same building configuration.Window blinds are one of the interior design elements that the occupants use to control indoor environmental conditions.The way that occupants adjust their blinds could affect the energy performance of buildings.Thus,the purpose of this research was to identify spatial and temporal explanatory variables that correlate with occupants’use of the blinds and determine whether those variables relate to building design and surround-ing sites.Data were collected by observing how occupants in apartment buildings located in a multifamily residential complex adjust their blinds.Descriptive statistics were used to define the effect of floor level,window orientation,day of observation,the hour of observation,and weather conditions on the blind status.In addition,a generalized linear mixed model was used to predict the effect of floor level and window orientation on the occupants’adjustment of blinds.The results revealed that occupants’use of the blinds correlated significantly with spatial factors,such as the apartment buildings’floor level and windows’orientation.Interesting blind use patterns were related to temporal factors,such as the day and hour of observation.

SUSTAINABLE MULTIFAMILY KITCHEN DESIGN:A STUDENT ELICITATION APPROACH

This case study focuses on the sustainable design of a demonstration kitchen space within a multifamily residence through a student lens.A project-based learning opportunity for undergraduate students in a senior-level kitchen and bath design studio was created to redesign a multifamily starter kitchen space into a multifamily sustainable kitchen space within the Center for Real Life Kitchen Design at Virginia Tech.Upon completion of this student project,a content analysis was employed to uncover sustainability themes within these student projects.As students are making the environment and sustainability priorities in their shopping choices,uncover­ing student themes regarding multifamily sustainability kitchen design criteria can uncover trends important to this millennial generation(The Nielsen Company,2015;Timm,2014).Furthermore,as demand for sustainability increases,compar­ing student themes to multifamily industry sustainability certification systems may unearth potential gaps in the industry which need to be addressed.Although there are several sustainability certification agencies that apply to multifamily in general,there is no one specific source for sustainability guidelines for kitchens,much less in multifamily units.This lack of guidelines and the inconsistency between existing certification programs make it confusing for consumers,developers,designers,and students to value and weigh elements of a sustainable kitchen project,especially with respect to multifamily housing.By examining kitchens using current sustainability certification programs as well as this case study,recommendations can be put forth to shape guidelines for sustainable multifamily kitchens that are both clearly understood and sensitive to the environment.Ultimately,this could lead to sustainable kitchen design features becoming more commonplace in the multifamily resident home.