Design data acquisition for building simulation

There is increasing concern and awareness of the contribution of the built environment to global environmental problems such as the depletion of the ozone layer, large-scale soil erosion and deposition, the generation of greenhouse gases, atmospheric hygiene and surface water quality. Me dispersion of refrigerant gases from air conditioning plant, urban stormwater run-off, the energy requirements of space heating and lighting, and waste management and disposal are all significant issues in the impact of buildings on the global environment. They are also complex issues that are not easily modelled and managed with conventional skills and design tools. What is needed is a new approach to ign and design information that takes advantage of current technological and cultural change. These are some of the issues being canvassed in the design of new accommodation for the Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO) in Canberra. The 40,000 square metre new office and laboratory building is a pilot project which develops an approach to large scale building design and site planning embodying ecologically sustainable design principles, and which demonstrates that an environmentally sound approach can be commercially successful, functional and attractive. AGS0 is a scientific and technical organization with field, laboratory, and office based activities in support of the acquisition and maintenance of geoscientific data of significant importance-especially to sectors of the Australian economy such as the mining industry. The accommodation facilities they require are correspondingly complex, technical in nature, and of importance in the success of the organization's activities. The design focus is on ensuring future flexibilily for the changing needs of a dynamic organization with diverse research and commercial programme requirements, and on the responsible management of energy use, resources and environmental impact. The foundation of this flexibility is a design database system that allows for the continued use of design data in the dynamic management of the facilities. An integrated, computer-based design, construction and building management systems approach is under development, in support of the building design processes. It uses an object methodology to specify and generate design data that is relevant beyond the design phase of the project. We believe it is the future of Computer Aided Design technique in the construction industry, and the beginnings of a solution to handling the complexities of environmental options for building design. It is the relevance and impact of this approach on computer simulation techniques for buildings that is the theme of this paper.