Integrated design in the simulation process

During the past decade the construction industry has been witnessing a constant shift in the way it operates. The advances of technology have made possible the adaptation of a more direct, performance-driven design approach based on multi-objective (and sometimes contradicting) criteria of environmental, structural, economic and aesthetic impact. As a consequence, the various teams of consultants involved in the process no longer inform it consecutively, forcing various changes at different stages of the design. Instead, building projects increasingly comprise numerous design issues that can be delegated to small groupings of architects, engineers, and consultants to be resolved simultaneously, in parallel. In the light of this new status quo, the significance of new customized simulation tools and interfaces, capable of providing near real-time feedback and driven by multiple input criteria, looms as a potential game changer to the industry. This paper outlines the advances implemented by the authors to support these new integrated workflows.