A process and competency-based approach to high performance building design

by Magent, Christopher S.

iii High performance buildings are those which achieve energy efficiency coupled with healthy and productive work environments. Currently, the design process for high performance buildings is largely undefined, and is re-invented on a project-by-project basis, as teams of highly specialized and fragmented disciplines are formed for a particular project. The emphasis on energy efficiency and life-cycle costs savings in high performance buildings demands a specialized set of decisions and analyses in addition to collaboration between disciplines that differs considerably from standard practices found in most architectural and engineering firms. While metrics and standards for the final building product such as The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEEDTM) rating system have evolved rapidly, few models of the “integrated design” process for high performance buildings exist. In addition, few tools exist to help project teams plan and manage the design process for high performance buildings. To improve and articulate the design process of high performance buildings, a representation of the integrated design process and the steps required to evaluate the process have been developed and validated through case study research. The components of the Design Process Evaluation Model for High Performance Buildings (DPEMHP) developed and validated in this research to help teams improve the design process are: (1) determine the building’s desired functions and form the team, (2) develop a decisionbased design process model, (3) evaluate decisions for time and sequence, (4) identify and evaluate required information for decisions, and (5) identify competencies for process implementation. Through case study research and interviews, a decision-based Design Process Model (DPMHP) was developed to characterize the key components of the design process for energy systems design in high performance buildings. The model identifies critical decisions, information, commitments and competencies that the design team encounters during the design of high performance buildings. The results of this research provide useful contributions in the areas of design process theory, process modeling, and the delivery of high performance buildings.