Browsing by Author "Michael, Teshome"
Item Building Performance Simulation in Design Phase: A Case for Construction Consultants in Addis Ababa(Addis Ababa University, 2022-05) Michael, Teshome; Abraham, Assefa (PhD)Building performance analysis at the design stage enables assessing the building's performance and the variables that influence it. Simulating the performance of a building by visualizing how the building will react in response to excitation in a virtual environment provides designers and respective stakeholders vital information in the decision-making of buildings. Nonetheless, a common practice in Ethiopia indicates that an emphasis is placed on how the building appears and is constructed in the project's design phase rather than how the building will accomplish its intended function and performance requirements. Despite the longevity of buildings, analysis of how the building will operate and perform its intended function is seldom. This research aims to study the existing practices of building performance simulation for buildings in the design stages for the case of consultants in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry of Addis Ababa. The research design employed a questionnaire as a data collection tool. It gathered information from consultants about their approach to design, their tools, use of building performance simulation tools, consideration of uncertainties in their design, and sustainability approaches. For further validation, semi-structured interviews and documentation reviews were used for the case study analysis. It is found that there is a disparity and underlying lack of understanding of building performance fundamentals and analysis methods. For existing simulation practices in building projects in Addis Ababa, it is found that local consultants do not do them. Moreover, with the infancy of BIM practices in the city’s consultants, capitalizing on the possible BIM-based building performance simulation of buildings is not foreseeable under current circumstances. As a result, this research recommends essential education and training regarding building performance to realize its potential in developing buildings with improved performance and applicable standards and rating systems for sustainability in the local context.