Bellenger’s presidential theme, “Modeling a Sustainable World”, notes that in energy simulation, daylight analysis, CFD and BIM software, we have powerful modeling tools that enable us to create and refine our vision of a building – its appearance, systems, operation, and performance. Those resources, used effectively in an integrated design process for new buildings and in analyzing retrofit opportunities in existing buildings, will help us model a sustainable world.

“Our biggest challenge is implementing integrated design in daily practice,” she said. “The traditional approach where the architect designs the building shape, orientation and envelope and then transmits the drawings to the mechanical and electrical engineers for their design, is a silo approach that misses the rich opportunities for optimizing building performance through a collaborative approach from the beginning. It is going to require a real cultural shift in our industry to transform the design process, and it’s a shift that has to occur if we are going to reach our goal of net-zero-energy buildings”.

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