Establishing BIM framework for Integrating passive design strategies for designing energy-efficient residential high-rise buildings in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Sri Lanka expects a surge in demand for residential high-rise buildings (RHBs). Energy-intensive heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are relied on for the indoor thermal comfort of these buildings. The HVAC dependency can be minimized by integrating Passive Design Strategies (PDS) that leverage natural resources to control heat transfer and ventilation. Despite their potential, the efficacy of PDS is sparsely studied for Sri Lankan buildings. Addressing this knowledge gap, this study introduces a novel Building Information Modeling (BIM)-based Building Performance Analysis (BPA) framework for an energy-efficient building design workflow. Eight popular PDS were identified through a questionnaire survey among local building designers. These strategies were then applied to a typical RHB in three distinct sub-climates in Sri Lanka. The comparison between the survey findings and simulation results highlights a discrepancy between the popularity of PDS and their actual performance, emphasizing the need for enhanced awareness among Sri Lankan building designers. The local and global sensitivity analyses revealed low e-coating glasses and solar reflective wall paints as the energy-efficient PDS for Colombo and Kandy. In contrast, low conductivity walls and multiple/thick glazing are the most effective PDS for Nuwara Eliya. The multi-objective optimization of this study demonstrated that the optimum PDS design could substantially reduce operational energy consumption by 41.4%, 61%, and 29.4% and investment costs by 7.5%, 4%, and 4% compared to original designs in Colombo, Kandy, and Nuwara Eliya. Importantly, prioritizing low operational energy PDS design over the investment cost proves crucial for achieving sustainable metrics, such as carbon emission reduction and green rating scores. While the output of this study sets basic guidelines for Sri Lankan building designers in integrating passive design strategies for RHBs, the novel BIM-based BPA framework stands as a solution for existing technical gaps in BIMbased building design workflows.