With the tech. side of the AEC industry progressing at a more-than-rapid pace, it can get pretty hard to keep track of all the innovation, let alone choose the right tools for your tech-stack to put into use in your everyday work and solve problems. True, we’re now at the middle of the decade, and the surge in the influx of new solutions we’ve witnessed over the past few years has been humongous. While the array of problems each new tool attempts to solve can be broad, with quite a bit of overlap across these innovations, upon following closely, one can still discern what specific scope of work / problem area they tackle, and to what degree they succeed. 

We at AEC+Tech have curated here a series of promising AECTech products/toolkits that tackle the problems of built environment sustainability, across three distinct yet interconnected areas. Considering the magnitude of the building industry’s contribution to global emissions, and the consequent planetary warming and weather anomalies we see every other day, the significance of tech. solutions addressing AEC’s contributions to the same has never been greater. Built Environment professionals are indeed rising up to the challenge. 

Let’s dive deeper into each of these tools, and see for ourselves how they help us contribute positively in reducing our industry’s impacts!

(Disclaimer: Like mentioned before, many of the tools below have a very broad suite of features. They don’t just singly work in the specific context/area they’re mentioned under.)

Energy Performance Analysis

Building Energy Performance is a key area of focus in bringing down operational carbon. The tools below enable users to arrive at the most-optimized design decisions for active and passive elements, which correspond to the least Energy Use Intensity (EUI).

1. Integrated Environmental Solutions - Virtual Environment (IES-VE)

The industry-standard for end-to-end energy simulations, IES-VE is an in-depth suite of integrated analysis tools for the design and retrofit of buildings. The platform leverages a very powerful simulation engine to allow cross-team collaboration between architects, engineers and contractors, from concept design to operation. This embeds energy and performance analysis into the heart of the design process, and across the entire building lifecycle. 

Tried and tested over many years, the APACHE simulation engine sits at the heart of the VE to provide accurate analysis across a range of performance metrics and decarbonisation options. Whether it is conceptual energy and systems design studies, or full-scale compliance energy modeling exercises for certification/permits, IES-VE’s energy analysis capabilities come in handy over almost every design phase.

2. ClimateStudio

A plugin for the Rhinoceros modeling environment, ClimateStudio is a fast and accurate environmental and energy performance analysis software. Its simulation workflows help designers and consultants optimize buildings not only for energy efficiency, but also daylight access, electric lighting performance, visual and thermal comfort, as well as other measures of occupant health.

Using the EnergyPlus simulation engine for EUI, and the Radiance-based path tracing method for daylight, ClimateStudio lets you precisely evaluate your design’s performance with speed. Its workflows enable efficient simulations across various performance metrics, all without the need for external data transfers or additional software. Plus, ClimateStudio lets you take advantage of its customized LEED-compliant simulation workflows, which lets you achieve credit points with ease.

3. cove.Tool

cove.Tool has had a very inspiring development journey over the past few years, emerging as a strong energy analysis tool working exclusively out of your web browser. Initially with an offer of concept-level energy studies, you can now conduct full, detailed energy modeling exercises for net-zero energy design targets, or other kinds of third-party compliance.

cove.tool is primarily used for assessing the energy performance of both new and existing buildings, as well as evaluating design alternatives during the pre-design phase to identify the most energy-efficient options. This allows architects and engineers to make data-driven decisions on building systems and envelope design early in the process. 

Further, it integrates with SketchUp, Rhino, and Revit, making it easy to incorporate energy modeling into the design workflow. The company also offers architectural consulting services to assist design teams in optimizing projects for compliance, performance, and sustainability, supporting firms of all sizes in managing limited resources. With recent advancements in AI, cove.tool now includes Vitras.AI, an AI-powered assistant designed to automate reporting tasks while adhering to the latest zoning regulations.

4. FenestraPro

An energy-performance tool with a focus on the facade, FenestraPro identifies sustainable, energy-reducing solutions for architects, designers and engineers. The creators of FenestraPro identify the fact that a building’s facade can influence more than half of a building’s energy use, and have tailored their product to mitigate cost and improve occupant comfort while minimizing operational energy.

Fenestra Pro’s key features include detailed analysis of window-to-wall ratios, glazing specifications, and facade construction to identify energy-efficient design options. It also offers advanced visualization and reporting tools to effectively communicate these insights to project stakeholders.

The software integrates smoothly with Autodesk Forma and Revit, allowing early design decisions made in Forma to be directly applied as detailed facade elements in the Revit model. This bidirectional data exchange enables designers to quickly assess the impact of envelope design choices and make adjustments throughout the project.

5. HVAKR

HVAKR is a one-of-a-kind web-based mechanical design program that lets you design, customize, and analyze the performance implications of heating/cooling and ventilation systems. HVKAR offers an integrated solution that combines load calculations, space zoning, and system design, simplifying many of the challenges typically encountered with HVAC engineering tools.

Fully compliant with ASHRAE and ACCA standards, the platform supports quick design iterations, real-time collaboration, and professional reporting, helping teams make faster, more informed decisions during the HVAC design process.

Comfort Simulation

A factor that contributes significantly to operational carbon emissions is occupant comfort. True, comfort demands for occupants directly influence certain design decisions that drive emissions and thus environmental impact. Having a good handle on occupant comfort: thermal, visual, acoustic, and so on, both indoor and outdoor, is key to designing buildings and spaces that optimize both well-being as well as energy performance, while minimizing impact.

1. Ladybug Tools

Ladybug Tools, an open-source project to enable environmental and comfort simulations in the Rhino-Grasshopper environment, is a promising simulation platform that enables users run different kinds of studies to assess i) daylight, glare, and visual comfort conditions; ii) indoor thermal comfort conditions, iii) wind, sun, and outdoor UTCI conditions, to name a few.

LBT enables designers to integrate climate data into the early stages of architectural and urban design,  providing feedback and insights for passive design strategies. 

Ladybug integrates with Grasshopper's visual programming environment, enabling real-time analysis and visualization of design changes. This smooth connection offers a high level of customization, allowing Ladybug to adapt to any workflow and provide the flexibility needed to tackle specific project challenges.

2. Autodesk Forma

An early-concept-stage tool suited for exploring massing and program iterations, Autodesk Forma comes equipped with a very robust simulation engine powered by AI models, that enables accurate feedback on design concepts. It lets you run sun and wind studies rapidly, thanks to its AI capabilities, and updates you with real-time feedback of what works and what doesn’t.

The solution provides bidirectional integration with Autodesk Revit, streamlining the design workflow and enabling seamless data exchange between the two platforms for improved collaboration.

Check out our series of articles that exclusively cover Autodesk Forma’s many features here.

3. Sefaira

Sefaira is an add-on to Trimble Sketchup to enable early-stage performance and comfort simulations inside the popular modeling platform.

Sefaira’s analysis is nimble enough to keep up with the pace of conceptual and schematic design. You can run full annual simulations powered by industry-accredited analysis engines, and get your building performance results in minutes instead of weeks. Apart from energy use and carbon emissions, Sefaira provides a robust set of comfort simulation features to study daylight and thermal comfort across different relevant metrics.

4. Treble

Treble Acoustic Simulation Platform provides highly accurate, wave-based acoustic simulations for room designs, sound systems, and environmental acoustics. It allows professionals to model complex sound behaviors, visualize sound pressure distributions, and perform detailed analyses with high speed and precision. With cloud-based simulations, users can access real-time data, collaborate effectively, and experience interactive audio-visual representations of their projects.

Tailored for engineers, architects, and acoustic consultants, Treble supports simulations of various acoustic parameters, including impulse responses, frequency responses, and sound pressure levels, helping teams optimize designs efficiently. The platform's user-friendly interface and robust geometry import tools (supporting SketchUp, DXF, OBJ, and 3DM formats) ensure a seamless transition from design to simulation, enabling accurate acoustic modeling for any space, system, or environment.

Materiality, Life-cycle Assessments, and Decarbonization

Keeping aside the emissions that result from operating a building, the remainder of the environmental impacts from the built environment originate from upstream sources including building materials: their manufacture, transport, procurement, etc.; and construction of built projects. There exists a category of tools that characterize and account for not just materials-related emissions, but rather the whole-life-cycle impacts of buildings, and the different ways to optimize for and decarbonize them.

1. One Click LCA

One Click LCA is the industry-standard and go-to toolkit to conduct building-level life-cycle assessments, and quantify the embodied carbon impacts of your projects. The tool is backed by a very vast database of building materials and their unit environmental impacts, that could cover almost every single building material and product you may use in your project.

One Click LCA originally focused on assisting building product manufacturers with their LCA workflows, simplifying the process of achieving EPDs. As its solutions for manufacturers have evolved, the team has also developed tools for designers, architects, and developers. By utilizing the world’s largest construction product database and AI-driven analytics, the platform allows design and construction teams to automate life-cycle assessments, measure embodied carbon, and enhance sustainability throughout all stages of development. The software offers an integrated approach to evaluating environmental impact, helping teams meet certification requirements, regulatory standards, and sustainability objectives.

One Click LCA’s distinct advantage is its ability to integrate with over 20 BIM and building energy modeling platforms, providing a flexible, data-driven method for reducing embodied carbon and promoting sustainable design.

2. C.Scale (formerly EPIC)

C.Scale (formerly EPIC) is a workflow tool empowering everyone to design low-carbon buildings: it accounts for embodied, operational, refrigerant, and landscape carbon emissions to allow simple assessments of whole life carbon emissions. Based on data from thousands of buildings from around the world, it is rigorously reviewed by subject matter experts and trusted by over thousands of users.

The C.Scale web application offers an easy-to-use interface for design teams to quickly assess and visualize whole life carbon emissions. Users can enter project details at various levels of complexity, from simple project descriptions to detailed material specifications, providing fast insights into carbon performance without the need for extensive sustainability expertise.

For advanced users, C.Scale offers a developer-friendly API that integrates whole life carbon calculations into existing workflows. Using RESTful JSON protocols and comprehensive documentation, the API enables developers to embed carbon estimation capabilities into their tools. The platform’s machine learning models are regularly updated to align with the latest standards and datasets, ensuring users have access to the most current carbon estimation methods.

3. Pathways

Pathways is a powerful, AI-powered EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) generation platform that is highly sought-after by building material and product manufacturers. 

(An EPD is a document that consolidates all the environmental impact occurring from the manufacture of a single unit of a material or a product, and forms the building blocks of LCA studies.)

The platform integrates seamlessly with existing data systems, automating the collection, processing, and reporting of sustainability and emissions data. This transforms complex, manual processes into streamlined, real-time insights.

Pathways offers manufacturers a comprehensive solution for simplifying EPD generation. It includes direct integration with current data systems, automatic data pipeline creation, and thorough verification services, helping companies use their sustainability performance as a competitive advantage.

4. Revalu

Revalu is a leading material data platform that provides access to low-carbon building materials and products from around the world. It allows users to access detailed information about materials, including their carbon footprint, embodied energy, and overall sustainability. By providing comprehensive data, Revalu enables architects, engineers, and manufacturers to make informed decisions that support more sustainable design and construction practices. The platform often integrates with other design tools and systems, streamlining workflows and helping teams optimize material choices for reduced environmental impact.

The platform also houses successful, project-specific material catalogues that are made public by some leading architecture practices from around the world, which could be taken advantage of by anyone wishing to reduce the embodied carbon footprint of their projects.

5. Adaptis

Adaptis is a robust decision-support platform that combines carbon and cost optimization throughout a building’s entire lifecycle, from design to operation and decommissioning. Whether managing a single project or an entire portfolio, Adaptis delivers actionable insights to simplify lifecycle planning, cut carbon emissions, and enhance financial performance. Its capability to simulate and compare numerous design and retrofit options in real-time allows stakeholders to make informed, data-backed decisions at every stage of a building's lifecycle.

The platform eliminates the need for repetitive assessments and generates compliance-level reports for permitting, funding, and certification purposes. By integrating both cost and carbon analysis into one tool, Adaptis helps AEC professionals align with sustainability objectives, reduce climate risks, and increase long-term building value.

Conclusion

While it can be overwhelming to try to integrate so many different solutions (each catering to a slightly differentiated area/scope), it has now certainly become easier to navigate the landscape of AECTech tools catering to sustainability in the built environment. Of course, each organization has its own workflows and processes in place, and the choice of toolkits depends significantly on its goals and projects, but a knowledge of what is out there certainly incentivizes firms to refine their aspirations and strive for better.

It is significant to note that the sheer proliferation of many different tools targeting the emissions and impacts of buildings signals a shift in the mindset of the many actors in the AEC industry: to be more responsible in the way we design and build. With that in mind, let’s hope for an industry that continues to thrive in this direction, and as we always say, there are some very exciting times ahead for the AECTech space!

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