Aedas R&D

While working on the Masdar Mist Neighbourhood project, we developed a tool to provide rapid feedback of the impact of design changes on the annual energy consumption of the building. This interactive Residential Thermal model helped the design team balance glazing percentage, shading requirements and U values while highlighting the proportional impact of infiltration. Using the model through the early design cycles helped maintain the building’s energy footprint and allowed those involved to explore the building’s form through an integrated approach to the mechanical performance.

The design concept centered on stacked apartments with cantilevers, balconies, and projecting panels that can be used to shade the façade. Linking the design models through to thermal analysis meant that we could rapidly evaluate the performance impact of design decisions, focusing on design configuration that brought best shading performance.