Add-in tool brings energy performance and environmental impact to front end of design process
FenestraPro for Revit is a new add-in tool designed to give architects guidance on façade performance, based on Conceptual Massing and Energy Modelling carried out within Revit.
The software, which links to FenestraPro in the cloud, balances the heat loss, heat gain and daylighting requirements of the façade with a view to giving the building designer key parameters within which to work, before applying these design decisions directly to the conceptual mass model.
According to the developers, the software can be used to establish the following key design parameters relating to the performance of the building:
• Establish the maximum allowable glazing based the thermal performance.
• Optimal distribution of the glazing to maximise passive solar gain, without overheating the building. • Performance specification for alternative glazing types.
• The optimal shading system to control heat gain at peak times • Review thermal, heat gain and daylighting performance values.
• Display values and indicate performance in chart format, or to the model.
• Apply decisions directly to the Revit model.
The FenestraPro for Revit add-in will be published to the Autodesk Exchange in December 2014.
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to AEC Magazine for FREE
