HVAC (& BIM)
The design
of HVAC systems has changed significantly BIM systems have increased
complexity. Until relatively recently man regulated the air quality and
temperature of their dwellings by windows and fire. Obviously these primitive
systems did not require advanced modeling techniques. During the last century
people have developed many new tool to condition the air. Buffalo Forge was an
early company that invented dehumidifiers and air filters. It was the fan
however that created the HVAC industry [1]. Fans and pumps allowed air and
other fluids to be piped from a central unit to auxiliary spaces. This allowed
buildings to expand: rooms did not need windows to ventilate or a hearth to
heat them.
The
expanding complexity of HVAC systems also meant that designing them was more
difficult. The loads of the spaces had to be calculated, and the engineer need
to discern how best to condition them. The engineer and architect also needed
to make sure the HVAC system did not interfere with any other systems. As the
quality of indoor spaces improved people became fussier about the quality of
their indoor space. Fortunately for the designers of such systems, humans were
inventing computers simultaneous to fans, refrigerators, and filters. Enter
BIM.
The concept of
Building Information Modeling was first published in a 1962 paper by Douglas
Englebart [2], it would take some time before his ideas would become a reality
(rendering is difficult for punch cards). The first significant step was
Charles Eastman’s Building Description System (a similar system was developed
in the Soviet Union). Quirk describes it as a GUI that could render view and
had a “sortable database that allows the user to retrieve information
categorically by attributes,” (it was written on a PEP-10). BIM began to gain
traction in the design community of England during the 1980’s with a variety of
now forgotten systems. The 90’s saw an interesting development in BIM (of equal
importance: I was born). Lawrence Berkeley National Labs (LBNL) developed the
Building Design Advisor which could perform simulations and evaluate a model
against given criteria. The International Foundation Class (IFC) file format
was also developed in 1995 to ensure that different BIM systems could
communicate with each other. The promised that structural engineer, MEP
engineers, and architects will be able to communicate with each other.
The first
popular BIM software was Revit, first released in 2000. Revit created a “
visual programming environment for creating parametric families [a set of
related objects that are defined by a set of parameters] and [importantly]
allowing for a time attribute to be added to a component,” [2]. This time attribute allows contractors
to simulate the building process. Other companies have created other BIM
systems since Revit’s inception. The main advantage of such systems to an HVAC
engineer is the ability to coordinate drawings among disciplines and reduce
unforeseen conflicts.
Much more
interesting to the engineer are the simulation programs. These programs can
predict peak and annual loads to optimize system sizing and selection. Revit
can produce such simulations, but there are many free software systems such as
eQuest and OpenStudio that are also capable. eQuest operates on the U.S. Department
of Energy’s DOE-2. Created in 1998 DOE-2 is a building energy analysis program
that employs building and weather data to create an energy simulation (in hour
increments) [3]. It is also capable of estimating the building’s utility costs
(interestingly, it was also designed by LBNL, among others). eQuest utilizes
wizards to input the data into DOE-2 and presents the results in a
user-friendly format. This allows HVAC designers to evaluate and compare
different system selections. EnergyPlus is the next generation of DOE-2. It can
handle additional complexities such as air movement between zones and more
advanced fenestration models [4]. Simergy is the GI for EnergyPlus. OpenStudio
is an open source collection of software tools for energy modeling. It uses
EnergyPlus and a daylight analysis program called Radiance. There are many
other energy modeling tool that a engineering firm can utilize to help select
the best system design.
Sensors
Merriam-Webster
defines a sensor as “a device that responds to a physical stimulus (as heat,
light, sound, pressure, magnetism, or a particular motion) and transmits a
resulting impulse (as for measurement or operating control.” Cornelis Drebbel,
the famous inventor, built the first thermostat prior to 1630 [5]. The 1880s
saw the invention of the first electric room thermostat. Many different sensors
have been developed since that time. The Clapper is a company that sells a
system to turn ones lights on or off when they clap. Some of the more common
building sensors include temperature, humidity, motion, CO2, and light.
Artificial
Intelligence
Artificial
Intelligence (AI) is practice of simulating human intelligence, especially
through computer science. One interesting recent development in AI is the
ability of computers to “see.” While the first digital cameras were developed
in the mid-1970s and facial-recognition in the late 1990s computers have been
unable to comprehend what they are looking at (beyond basic geometry). One fascinating
project by Baidu aims to change that. Their produce, called DuLight, generates
an audio description of a live image [6]. While the goal of the project is
merely to increase the perception of a blind person, there is a lot of
potential from this project. Computers can already operate from written words
(this is what modern programming is based on). A computer that can see can
operate based on its surroundings.
Database
Wikipedia
defines a database as “an organized collection of data. It is the collection of
schemas, tables, queries, reports, views and other objects. The data are typically
organized to model aspects of reality in a way that supports processes
requiring such information.” In other words, database software provides
convenient ways to enter, store, and retrieve relevant information for a set of
events. They are the backbone of BIM systems. The wonderful thing about BIM is
that each object has a useful description built in. A slab in AutoCAD looks
like a rectangle. A slab in Revit has a thickness, materials, construction
time, R-value, and many other specifications. Revit knows all this information
because the project file is really a database file, the UI simply a wizard.
Future
What does
the future hold? No one really knows, but it looks pretty exciting (if the politicians
don’t screw things up). When our parents were born (the 60s), computer memory
was just transitioning away from paper. When we were born (the 90s) laptops and
the internet were gaining popularity and computer games were becoming a thing
[7]. Now (2015) we carry the entirety of human knowledge in our pocket and
consider computer programming requisite part of elementary education. In the
60s every building was drawn on paper by hand, the only calculation aid a slide
rule. Today we have many complex applications to model and simulate our
buildings (Revit, SAP2000, Simergy, etc.). What will our industry look like in
2070? While I really have no idea, I can guess one thing based on history: we
won’t be bored.
[1]
Stonecypher, Lamar. Bright Hub
Engineering. 26 November 2009, “History of HVAC: Knowing the Timeline.”
Accessed 9 January 2016, Available: < brighthubengineering.com>
[2] Quirk,
Vanessa.
Arch Daily. 7 December 2012,
“A Brief History of BIM.” Accessed 9 January 2016, Available:
<archdaily.com>
[3] James J.
Hirsch & Assiciates. DOE2.com.
2012, “Welcome to DOE2.com.” Accessed 9 January 2016, available:
<doe2.com>
[4] U.S.
Department of Energy.
Energy Efficiency
& Renewable Energy. 11 December 2015, “EnergyPlus Energy Simulation
Software.” Accessed 9 January 2016, available: <apps1.eere.energy.gov>
[5] Tierie,
Gerrit. Cornelis Drebbel. 1932.
Accessed 11 January 2016, available: <drebbel.net>
[6] Metz,
Cade. Wired. 1 January 2016, “Artificial
Intelligence Finally Entered our Everyday World.” Accessed 11 January 2016,
available: <wired.com>
[7] Computer
History Museum.
Timeline of Computer
History. 2016. Accessed 11 January 2016, available: <computerhistory.org>
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