By Stephani L. Miller
Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES), developer of software-based building performance analysis tools, is releasing a free plug-in to Google's free SketchUp and SketchUp Pro software that allows users to run sustainability performance simulations and analyses on building designs. Once downloaded, the IES Toolbar resides in SketchUp and provides free direct access to IES' VE-Ware, VE-Toolkits, and the full Virtual Environment application. Designers can run performance simulations on different design iterations to determine which building properties achieve the best results.
The same type of plug-in exists for AutoDesk Revit Architecture and MEP Building Information Modeling applications, but more designers and architects use Google SketchUp in the early stages of design, when sustainability is best addressed, according to Don McLean, IES' founder and managing director. The IES Toolbar plug-in to SketchUp makes sustainability analysis tools available to a wider range of professionals earlier in the design process, he says.
While designing in SketchUp, users assign sustainable design information such as location, building and room type, construction type, and HVAC systems, then engage with IES' software tools at varying levels to produce basic or complex analyses on multiple design iterations. The VE-Ware application provides basic energy and carbon performance analysis, using the Architecture 2030 Challenge as a benchmark for performance.
For mid-level analysis, users can employ IES VE-Toolkits, which allows a variety of early-stage sustainability, energy, carbon, solar, and daylight analysis. VE-Toolkits also examines thermal implications of solar/light penetration into buildings and compares building performance to LEED and Architecture 2030 Challenge benchmarks.
For highly detailed analysis, SketchUp users can activate IES Virtual Environment to run energy, carbon, thermal comfort, airflow, bulk airflow, daylighting, solar, LEED, egress, mechanical and electrical, value, and capital/lifecycle cost simulations.
