Virtual Facility Prototyping for Sustainable Project Delivery

The delivery of facilities which incorporate a high degree of sustainable characteristics requires extensive collaboration and coordination between many professionals early in the design process. One challenge related to the design of sustainable projects is the ability for each professional to understand the impact of one building system on the performance of the building as a whole. Advanced visualization applications and display systems allow professionals to gain a better understanding of a facility including the 3D product model, the construction process, and the facility performance. This paper presents a case study of the design of an Early Childhood Development Center and the application of various modeling tools and media to display the developed models. This case helps demonstrate the value of visualizing design and construction information in virtual prototypes to improve decisions relevant to achieving sustainable design goals.