Sustainability and Net-Zero energy use is the central focus of an innovative project called the ABC Green Home project. The ABC (Affordable, Buildable, and Certified) Green Home is a one-story dwelling intended to serve as a model for other sustainable and affordable housing projects nationwide. Planning for the future of homes to come, the team is looking back at historical data and the existing energy costs of today to predict the future.

The ABC Green Home measures at approximately 1,700 square feet and is designed as a completely sustainable residence. The home will feature no-VOC paint, energy-efficient windows and doors, waterconserving bathroom fixtures and appliances and other various solar accessories. The ABC Green Home will be open to the public for one year after completion, monitored to verify its energy use over that time and will then be donated to a low-income family or veteran in need. To help enable the entire ABC Green Home team to work together in real time on each phase of the home's design, iPda is applying a process it originated, dubbed bsBIM, to access the power of Graphisoft's BIM server. Throughout the design process, the team has had the opportunity to utilize ArchiCAD -- saving time and money -- which is a key consideration in building an affordable, green home that is intended to serve as a model for sustainable developments nationwide.



With so many different sustainability standards, managing the project through the bsBIM process ensures maximum efficiency, waste reduction, minimizing errors, providing current building data and promoting close collaboration across functions. The entire ABC Green Home project team -- including the lead architect, assistants, engineers, general contractors, operations and students -- have the ability to share data using the same ABC Green Home model in real time. "Sustainability is all about making the right choices," stated Chuck Good-Man, principal at iPda. "Eighty percent of design choices on energy-efficiency are made early in the design phase. EcoDesigner helps architects optimize the design by identifying the energy performance implications of design alternatives."

EcoDesigner is a software add-on for ArchiCAD; allowing for early design analysis of elements that let designers understand how design alternatives can change energy consumption. According to Good- Man, EcoDesigner fits perfectly in this project. It aids in the verification process of using a checklist method of determining LEED and other energy types of certifications. Without the benefit of EcoDesigner, architects needed to wait to evaluate the energy impact of a design choice. EcoDesigner allows for early analysis which helps consultants and designers make better decisions in the beginning stages.

Elements such as the orientation of windows, view values, types and lengths of overhangs and insulation, would be fed into the EcoDesigner -- so that architects can manipulate those design elements and work out the "what if" scenarios much quicker than the traditional 2D checklist fashion. EcoDesigner provides the ability to determine whether a change will result in additional cost without maximum gain.

For each design option, bsBIM enables the user to calculate the cost, installation times and payback period -- therefore making a quick and accurate estimate of whether or not to implement any design changes or alternative installations. In addition, bsBIM provides an estimate of the individual carbon footprint, monthly energy footprint and BTU's used. As a result, stakeholders can immediately know that the project utilizes the best design principles, is ecologically sound and provides the highest possible financial return. For example, if the architect adjusts window eaves by 6-inches, the software would housing projects nationwide.

immediately run calculations on how this changes other elements such as indoor lighting, heating and cooling, the building's exterior as well as surrounding buildings.

This accessibility directly supports sustainability efforts -- eliminating excess paper use, allowing multiple stakeholders to virtually participate in the building design and construction, the cutting of meeting and commuting time alongside the reduction of energy use. The software also allows the architect to coordinate mechanical, structural and electrical and fire safety engineers along with the architects, builders and client(s) in the design process as options are developed. As the ABC Green Home design and construction process continues, the use of bsBIM will as well ensure seamless integration with local zoning, planning and building ordinances and codes.

The bsBIM process has allowed the team to move forward nimbly and efficiently with the ABC Green Home, a project that is sure to be a model for other sustainable and affordable housing projects across the country. The project emphasizes the planning of a home's design by taking a look back at historical weather data and applying current energy rates to help predict the future.


Chuck Good-Man is founder and principal of iPda, Integrated Project Delivery Associates, LLC, a coordinator of diversified building project teams. He may be contacted at cgoodman.ipda@gmail.com.