Reduction of Annual Energy Consumption of Multifamily Dwellings Using BIM and Simulation Tools

Designing and constructing a Sustainable building is an emerging area of interest with AECOO (Architectural, Engineering, and Construction, Owner and Operator) trades, which is evidenced by the increased use of the green building rating systems throughout the world. Building information modeling (BIM) is one of the effective ways of deciding the suitable building orientation and envelope that controls project cost, time and energy. In this study, multifamily residential building is taken as a case study, which is located in Afghanistan. Energy consumption analysis was conducted by using building energy performance tools. The building is modeled in Autodesk-Revit and different orientations, building envelopes and Wall to window ratio analysis were carried out to find the minimal energy consumption scenario. A total of 126 simulations were conducted. Ultimately, the most energy-efficient option in the context of Afghan dwellings was figured out. Locally available building materials were used in the study. The best energy efficient orientation of the building is evaluated by rotating the building in 15° rotation each time. Furthermore, varying the glazing area from 10 to 60% for energy-efficient WWR ratio. 10% glazing consumes minimal energy consumption for the C48 (combination 48) with wall type (W3)—Adobe brick wall, roof type (R4)—Mud Roof with timber as core structure and Floor type (F4)—Mud floor with timber as structure, was the best option which consumes the least amount of energy leading to reduction in annual electricity demand.