# Building Information Modelling and Energy Simulation for Architecture Design
## 6 Application of the Methodology on an Existing Case Study
### Simulation Results  
All the aspects studied and exposed were useful for the correct construction of the BEM model and a valid setting of the data for energy simulation. The previously built reference building was included in the appropriate tool section. At the end of the calculation, a final report was obtained. The first section reports all the general data of the entire building, including geometric ones, and some average values for all the thermal zones. The data concerning the energy supplied to the building (heating system, lighting systems, internal heat inputs due to the presence of people, etc.) are shown in the form of a weekly chart. It provides an immediate understanding of which system requires the most energy. Therefore, it predicts which of these fields can be the most expensive in economic terms. The first section contributes to giving an overall view of the analyzed construction. The second section contains the same information as the first, but this time concerning the individual thermal blocks. Each block is associated with a weekly graph of the energy supplied and a graph on the energy emitted. In the specific case of the Stirling building, the 6 apartments are shown (each definitive with a thermal block) and a single common area (represented with a single thermal block). It was noted that the apartments that require less energy in a year are those on the first floor. It is because they exchange heat with the external environment only on three sides. On the fourth side, the apartments border an unheated internal environment. Both at floor and ceiling level they border with other heated rooms. Therefore, the heat losses are less. The accommodations that require more energy to maintain an optimal internal temperature are those on the top floor. Indeed, they exchange heat with the external environment even from the ceiling. Moreover, the roof slab, compared to the floor slabs, has a lower thickness and there is not any type of insulating layer. The apartments on the ground floor, on the other hand, have energy consumption closer to those on the first floor. Another aspect that can be immediately noticed is that the apartments on the right of the entrance (and therefore facing north) have slightly higher energy consumption than those facing south. The third section relates to the daily temperature profiles. It is possible to insert graphs for each day of the year of any thermal block, to show the curves of internal and external temperatures. During the design phase, these graphs are very useful to better calibrate the systems and know when it is necessary to heat or cool the rooms. The fourth section is dedicated to the energy consumption, environmental impact, and energy production (if renewable energy sources are present). Energy consumption is shown both as a table and as a graph, and is divided into categories (heating, cooling, domestic hot water production, consumption due to mechanical ventilation if present, lighting, and equipment). If the prices of the various energy sources are also set, the cost of the various systems can be known. The environmental impact is instead calculated through the kg/y of CO\({}_{2}\) emitted, or the carbon dioxide expressed in kg emitted in a year. The last section focuses on comparing the consumption of the building to be analyzed and a reference building. It is possible, through this section, to compare two variants of the same project, in order to know both the consumption of the two buildings. They are compared in economic terms. In Table 2, the results of the simulation were reported. The proposed interventions are to be considered the hypothesis that complete and conclude the entire process outlined above. It has to be remembered that the aim of this paper is not the design of improvement solutions for the James Stirling building, but the definition of a methodology that integrates the simulation energy in the BIM environment, thus identifying a valid design support tool.