DAYLIGHT PLANNING IN DENMARK’S RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE
OCTOBER, 2 2015
C: I think if I understand the question right, then I would say that it's less deep floor plans and also the room height are kind of the main parameters. Question 9: Do you consider that available daylight simulation software (such as Ecotect, Velux Daylight Visualizer, Relux among many others) have certain limitations that would form an impediment against achieving useful results for planning with daylight? If yes, could you briefly explain why? A: There are a number of daylight simulation software available yet Velux Daylight Visualizer is known to be most accurate to date. This does not mean the other software are wrong however Velux has a close relationship with clients and their business model has helped to develop a very trustee simulation software. That being said, we have to remember that these are tools that help us better understand the building but also visualize easier information to be shared with the client and other consultants. B: Well the ones that are mentioned here are mostly external simulation program so you would usually have to remodel stuff. You don’t have this natural flow of information that I am as a BIM manager I’m trying to work towards, but on the other hand if you look just at the BIM platforms, the simulation tools are not so great in so many cases these standalone simulations are the easiest way to get a certain simulation. It’s not perfect but it’s better than nothing. C: Just to understand it right, you are questioning if the simulation tools have limitations? <Interviewer: Yes>. Then, definitely. I cannot remember who said it, so I cannot quote him but someone said that all models are wrong and I totally believe that. The thing is that some models are more useful than others, but you can see that every simulation is an abstraction of the physical world and you have to keep in mind when you work with them that there is only a very specific area that you investigate, you're not investigating everything that's there in the physical world. Question 10: Are BIM simulations a more reliable and useful alternative to existing daylight simulation specialized software (Ecotect, Velux Daylight Visualizer, Relux, etc.)? If yes, could you briefly explain why? A: I'm not sure as I would need further data in order to make a claim for this question. B: There will be when we start using them really, but until that kind of works out in practice also, the others do fine. When you start rebuilding stuff – on one hand you do redundant work which is unnecessary and on the other hand you also you run the risks that the remodeled version is not fully compatible with the actual model that you do for documentation, so you run the risks that there’s a difference there. BIM simulations would at some point be more reliable since it’s the same
75