The role of MVD in defining curtain wall system for energy analysis

Model based exchange has the potential to improve the process of information exchange between different disciplines (Eastman, 2006), such as architect and engineer. However, there has not been a lot of success in automating the process of acquiring building geometry for energy analysis. This paper is part of a PhD research that investigates ways to improve the efficiency of exchanging building geometry for energy analysis. To achieve this efficiency, it is best to adopt a formal system with an open data structure to define the scope of information to be exchanged and graphically represent where to get it. This will ensure the quality required for automating the information exchange between heterogeneous applications. For processes where significant semantics are required to enable successful exchange, such as that of acquiring building geometry for energy analysis, a highly structured approach is needed to ensure that data exchange is explicitly defined. This paper will discuss the use of the Model View Definition (MVD) as developed by buildingSMART International (2007), examining the information exchange requirements to undertake an energy analysis of a glazed curtain wall system with a view to identifying and resolving the issues associated with effective information exchange.