Decarbonizing the built environment is one of the most urgent priorities of our time. Today, powerful software can be applied to help solve complex design questions with sustainability and building performance in mind. When integrated into the investigative architectural design process, the process of using computational tools can help achieve wholistic solutions that achieve architects’ aesthetic goals, maximize performance for owners and occupiers, enhance sustainability, and reduce carbon footprint. The presentation will outline these tools and workflows, as well as show case studies as to how they have been applied to professional practice.
Computational design is the process of applying custom algorithms to design. This provides several advantages to designers in terms of resolution of complex architectural geometry, generative design, automation, and much, much more. The algorithms can parameterize architectural elements, allowing the architects the ability to explore different options and iterate their designs faster.
The open-source nature of many of the computational design environments allows connections to be made to outside software such as simulation software for energy, daylight, and thermal and visual comfort. When combined with the parametric nature of computational design, a new dimension to the architectural design exploration is created, one where data on building performance can inform decisions and be used to optimize the design for environmental responsiveness.
In this program, Elliot Glassman, Vice President and firmwide Building Performance Group Leader at CannonDesign, will discuss the landscape of tools available to designers. He will share project examples from over 12 years of professional practice combining computational design and building performance.
Attendees will be able to:
- Identify the landscape of building performance analysis tools that are available to practitioners
- Discuss how iterative building performance analysis as part of the design process can aid in decision making and contribute to positive sustainability outcomes
- Describe advanced computational workflows that can aid in design investigation and inform decisions with data
- Illustrate positive project and performance outcomes that can result from leveraging technology as part of the design process
Presenter:
Elliot Glassman, AIA NCARB LEED AP BD+C CPHD
Mr. Glassman is the Building Performance Group Leader with CannonDesign. He obtained his Bachelor of Architecture from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and a Master of Design Studies in Sustainable Design from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. In 17 years of combined professional practice as an architect and sustainability consultant, Mr. Glassman has worked on various projects around the world, each requiring a unique response to a diverse set of climatic, site, and programmatic conditions. His main area of expertise is passive building design for energy, daylight, and comfort. Other areas of expertise include water efficiency and renewable energy.
Mr. Glassman’s focus is combining computational design techniques with performance simulation to inform the design process. These computational techniques help identify integrated design solutions that improve the performance of the built environment and provide deep insights to achieve a wide range of intended project outcomes. He has given presentations on utilizing computational design for building performance at conferences such as Greenbuild, the International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA), Advancing Computational Building Design (ACBD), and the Architecture Boston eXpo (ABX). He teaches classes on building performance at Columbia University and Pratt Institute.