Green Building Practices in Urban Organic Renewal Zones
— China Academy of Architectural Design & Research — Design of Innovation Research Demonstration Center Project
Innovation and Research Demonstration Center
The Innovation and Research Demonstration Building of the China Architecture Design and Research Institute (referred to as the China Academy) is situated between Beijing’s West Second Ring Road and West Third Ring Road, within an urban organic renewal area. Considering the surrounding urban environment, the project’s primary goal is to develop high-quality office spaces.
This building features 14 floors above ground and 4 underground levels, encompassing approximately 21,000 square meters of above-ground area. The building’s basic form is shaped through an inverse sunlight-driven design, responding to sunlight conditions and maximizing area while respecting the height and sunlight of nearby residential buildings.
Aligned with the development plan of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, this project aims to become an efficient, energy-saving, and intelligent green building that meets China’s three-star green building standards. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is utilized throughout the entire life cycle—from design and construction to operation. The BIM team, composed of designers, employs a fully professional BIM workflow to ensure real-time accuracy and consistency in design processes and information models, ultimately delivering a truly green building.
Layered Outdoor Platform
A defining feature of this building is its tiered outdoor platform, created by the sculpting of the building’s form in response to sunlight conditions. The three-dimensional capabilities of Revit models are fully leveraged to express complex information that traditional two-dimensional methods cannot clearly convey. This approach resolves challenges related to structural processing, roof construction systems, and comprehensive equipment layouts. Lighting and thermal simulations of the platform are conducted using analysis software to guide the planning of platform activities.
Lowered Platform Structure and Integrated Pipelines
To ensure seamless accessibility between indoor and outdoor spaces, the platform’s structural height has been lowered. Addressing this requires coordinated efforts among multiple disciplines. BIM’s collaborative capabilities enable timely and precise exchange of three-dimensional information across teams, proving invaluable in efficiently solving such integrated design challenges.
Comprehensive Pipeline Layout at Platform Axis
Unlike traditional BIM applications that often judge Revit software by the standards of two-dimensional final construction drawings, the China Academy seeks to harness BIM’s 3D advantages more fully. This includes extensive use of sectional and side views—such as comprehensive management drawings and detailed curtain wall design documents—to explore new possibilities beyond domestic 2D drawing standards.
Visual Comparison of Platform Components
During detailed design development, adjustments to building components are common. For the platform, the China Academy swiftly replaced railing components using Revit’s family system and employed Autodesk 360 cloud rendering services to create visual comparisons, enhancing design decisions.
Platform Monitoring Point Simulation
The openness of the outdoor platform poses challenges for operation and maintenance. To meet property management’s requirements for monitoring all outdoor areas, the China Academy used Revit cameras with actual camera parameters to simulate the number and placement of monitoring points, guiding the related design accordingly.
Platform Heat Analysis
The Revit model was exported as DXF data and imported into Ecotect Analysis to simulate heat gain and sunlight shadows across different seasons. Although the terrace faces north, it still receives sunlight most of the year, informing the placement of green vegetation and designated activity areas on the platform.
Sunshine Shadow Analysis of the Platform
Similarly, Ecotect Analysis was used to simulate seasonal sunlight shadows on the platform. Based on these shadow studies, the orientation of stairs connecting the outdoor platforms was reorganized to enhance environmental comfort for users.
Research on Energy-Saving Behaviors on Platforms
Health is a core concept in this green building project. The numerous open platforms encourage employees to engage in healthy activities. Stairs connecting each floor provide a healthier, more energy-efficient alternative to elevators. The China Academy combined Revit models with IES VE software to compare usage times of platform stairs versus elevators during peak periods (such as lunchtime when descending to the cafeteria). Using evacuation simulations converted to walking evaluations, they found elevator wait times can approach 40% of walking time. This efficiency advantage supports using walking as a preferred mode and informs elevator operation and management during peak hours.
Platform Wind Field and Comfort Analysis
The Revit models were imported into Simulation CFD using SAT data to simulate wind velocity fields and comfort levels on the platform across seasons. These simulations analyzed optimal window and air intake placements, assessing wind speed and direction to predict suitable conditions for platform activities.
Open Curtain Wall System
Visual Comparison of Building Components
The building’s exterior features an open curtain wall system composed of ceramic panels and ceramic louvers. During planning and detailed design phases, seamless software data exchange supports lighting, shading, and heat gain analyses. Real-time feedback on effects and costs is provided based on varying component sizes.
Multi-Scheme Visualization of Ceramic Panel Curtain Wall
Local design alternatives are directly modified within Revit and rendered using Autodesk 360 cloud services, achieving realistic material comparisons comparable to those produced by software like SketchUp. Ecotect simulations provide a solid foundation for facade heating analysis to support facade design.
Thermal Analysis of Ceramic Panel Curtain Wall Combinations
Integrating facade design adjustments with Ecotect thermal simulations provides a rational basis for optimizing the curtain wall system.
Statistical Analysis of Curtain Wall Components
The west facade includes ceramic slabs and sticks arranged within a parameterized curtain wall system, exhibiting irregular patterns. Component quantities are calculated using Revit’s detailed table function, and unit costs are combined for comprehensive cost control of the curtain wall.
3D Wall Body Drawing Representation
The advantages of 3D modeling are fully utilized to convey information through numerous sectional and side views, such as detailed curtain wall design drawings.
Exploration and Reflection
While some concepts did not directly yield effective conclusions, their design ideas were rationally expanded and applied throughout the project.
Simulation of Traffic Environment in Urban Organic Renewal Zones
Achieving harmonious growth in urban environments is central to green building principles. Simulation analysis based on regional environmental models plays a key role. Beyond natural environmental analyses using Simulation CFD software, traffic simulation is equally important. For example, adding two openings to the west side road could be evaluated through BIM simulations to assess peak hour traffic pressure impacts. Due to professional constraints, the China Academy continues to explore BIM applications in this area.
Study of Maximum Building Capacity via Sunlight Inverse Cutting
This design concept originated from sunlight considerations. Early in the planning phase, the China Academy obtained the building volume by performing Boolean operations between the sunlight cone and building mass in sunlight calculation software, then importing the result into SketchUp—an early, somewhat rudimentary BIM approach. Attempts to replicate this process using Vasari and Ecotect for seamless integration with Revit during detailed design are ongoing, but ideal results have yet to be achieved.
Simulation of Multi-Layer Platform Drainage System
The project’s tiered platform design presents multiple opportunities for BIM-based study and meaningful conclusions. Designing drainage systems for multi-story roofs is a complex challenge. If the drainage layout can be integrated with the building form and rainwater volumes on each floor simulated, this would enhance design accuracy—an area the China Academy is actively investigating.
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