Addressing pathways to energy modelling through non-manifold topology

This paper presents a comparison of different pathways for the energy modelling of complex building geometry. We have identified three key modelling questions: first, how can the spatial organisation of the building be appropriately represented for energy analysis? Second, how can curved building geometry be post-rationalized as planar elements given the planar constraints associated with energy simulation tools? And third, how can an exploratory design process be supported using a 'top-down' rather than a 'bottom-up' modelling approach? Using a standard office building test case and EnergyPlus, the following three pathways were explored: (a) OpenStudio using a non-manifold topology (NMT) system based on an open-source geometry library, (b) OpenStudio using the SketchUp 3D modelling tool and (c) through the DesignBuilder graphical interface. The efficacy of the software used in these pathways in addressing the three modelling questions was evaluated. The comparison of the pathways’ capabilities has led to the evaluation of the efficacy of NMT compared to other existing approaches. It is concluded that NMT positively addresses the three key modelling issues.

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