QUEEN — A novel design flow and decision support tool for sustainable buildings

Abstract

The established building design process is a very conservative one. New technologies and energy efficient systems are hardly adopted since there are few reference buildings out there. Risk minimization, cost pressure and the complexity of the design process therefore leads to a poor innovation cycle and old-fashioned, inefficient buildings. We present a design flow that overcomes this hurdle by means of simulation. A decision support tool uses facts and figures from simulation to ease the process of selecting the right system. Furthermore we present the software architecture of the implemented design flow that is already in use by construction industry. The project was initiated and actively supported by STRABAG AG, a construction and consulting company based in Austria operating in international markets.