Prepping for Sefaira: From Architectural Model to Energy and Daylight Analysis

As more architects aim to create energy-efficient, carbon-neutral, and even net-positive energy buildings, they are analyzing the energy, daylight, and carbon performance of their designs as early and as often as possible. This approach is called Performance-Based Design. It requires the early and continuous assessment of building performance throughout the design process, rather than just at the end of a project for compliance purposes.

When it comes to performance models, a common misconception is that the more detailed the model, the more accurate the results. In fact, conceptual models provide meaningful (and quick) performance information. And even as a design develops, it is still best to keep it simple. While the exposed gable truss and intricate stair detailing are important features in influencing the feel of a space, they don’t impact a building’s energy use and daylight performance.

If you’ve ever struggled with getting performance data out of a model that is complete with design and construction details, we’ve created a video that walks through the process of simplifying a detailed model into one that can be successfully analyzed in Sefaira. And because the details do matter, we’ll even show you how to keep both the architectural and performance model in the same file.