Framework for evaluating and optimizing algae façades using closed-loop simulation analysis integrated with BIM

Abstract According to the U.S. Department of Energy, about 40% of U.S. energy was consumed by the building sector in 2015. Among building components, the facade is critical for minimizing cooling load and optimizing thermal comfort. Related to energy efficiency improvements and waste treatment capabilities, algae facades have been studied to improve the performance of building envelopes. In 2013, an algae facade was applied to a building in Germany, but further applications have not been implemented and its feasibility is still questionable. This study presents a framework to explore the critical factors when deploying algae facades in buildings, analyze energy and waste stream encompassing algae facades, and evaluate the performance considering various building contexts. This research aims to present a framework of closed-loop simulation analysis based on Building Information Modeling (BIM). The framework is composed of: 1) the algae facade is integrated in BIM as one of components, 2) closed-loop energy and waste streams are modelled through a system dynamics model (SDM) for evaluating the impact of algae facades and considering by-product recycling, and 3) algae facade data in BIM is retrieved to be used in the SDM. Contributions from this research are related to promoting more integrated design and construction processes by integrating algae facade components in BIM. Energy and waste flows from the algae facade will be evaluated in a more reliable manner through closed-loop simulation analysis. This framework can also contribute to determine feasibility when the algae facade is applied differently in a building and/or applied in various buildings by running the BIM-integrated SDM simulation iteratively.