Advanced Building Simulation

Data-centric approach
no explicit process
Building Model
No process
definition
Figure 8.8 The Project Window concept.
Process definition in PW
interoperability but pose an agenda of their own. A new kind of user-driven “interface”
may take the shape of a dedicated workbench that provides easy access to heterogeneous
sources of information produced in other PWs.
Current approaches are aimed to deploy the IFC in a real-life process context.
A recent special issue of a journal (ITCON 2003) presents working prototypes and
contains papers that introduce frameworks for project and process extensions, dealing
with work processes, interdisciplinary document transactions, contracting, and
project management methods.
The Building Lifecycle Interoperability Software (BLIS), started in Finland is focusing
on the definition of so-called “BLIS views” (BLIS 2002) uses principles that are
similar to PW-based clustering. The BLIS views are process views that span a set of
interoperability scenarios based on end-user “use cases”. The BLIS work has delivered
a set of benchmarks for the introduction of IFC in practice. Inspired by the
BLIS work, the IAI development has started the use of IFC model servers to provide
partial model exchange but a clear framework and architecture for process-driven
communication has yet to result from these efforts.
Probably, the most important PW for interoperable simulation software applications
is the design analysis PW, spanning a set of designers and domain consultants
during the middle and later stages of design evolution, when they communicate
design variants and design performance assessments based on simulation. Section 8.3
discusses a trial of a novel system approach particularly suited for design analysis
interoperability.
8.3 Design analysis integration
PW1
Developments in interoperability 201
User-driven
Semantic
cluster model
PW specific
This section focuses on the integration of building performance simulation tools in
the building design process, achieving “true” interoperability. While a large number
PW2