VE Gaia

• Climate Exploration
  • Climate
  • Bio-climate
  • Climate Energy Index (CEI)
• Building Characteristics
  • Building Metrics
  • Materials Review
• Energy
  • Energy/Carbon
  • Heating/Cooling Loads
  • Low/Zero Carbon technology
• Lighting
  • Daylighting
  • Solar Shading
• Natural Resource Potential
  • Natural Resources
  • Water

As VE-Gaia is integrated incredibly closely with VE-Pro you can easily add the powerful early stage analysis and climatic / natural resource capabilities of the product to your VE-Pro suite. 

You can use in conjunction with VE-Pro to interrogate climate more closely or provide early stage team members with guided access to key IES VE analysis functions.  As the product standardises the simulation process it improves modelling efficiency and accuracy, as well as opening up performance analysis to a wider range of design professionals.

An easy to use workflow system guides users step-by-step through how to undertake model setup, assign data, iterate workflows, trigger simulations, filter results and produce automated visual and rich-text reports. You can input and manipulate exact building data.

Unique built-in Quality Assurance (QA) functionality permits progress to be tracked and checked, and eliminates potential areas of error, while also facilitating learning and mentoring of those less experienced in the IES VE.

WorkFlows

• Model Geometry/Data
  • Model drawing, import, setup, and creation; including grouping rooms and assigning features/shades
  • Detailed data assignment and manipulation; including assigning weather data, constructions, building usage and HVAC systems
• Climate/Bio-Climatic Interrogation
  • Climate exploration, analysis and review; including consideration of future climate predictions
  • Bio-Climatic responsive design suggestions for urban layout and built form
  • Temperature, moisture/humidity, wind, precipitation, solar energy, diurnal swing
  • IES Climate Energy Index breakdown of potential climate has to impact energy use
• Building Metrics/Materials Review
  • Understand the dominant heat exchange characteristics, materials and other metrics of the building
  • Is it skin or internally loaded, what’s the surface area to volume ratio, thermal mass, and natural ventilation form, plus much more
• Natural Resources/Water Analysis
  • Understand the available potential for solar/wind energy and rainwater resources
  • Review water availability, appliance water use and reduction potential
  • Assess rainwater/greywater/ blackwater efficiencies
  • Choose between LEED, BREEAM and Green Star approaches
• Energy/Carbon Simulation
  • Use a dynamic thermal simulation at sub-hourly time-steps to interrogate without shading, with simple external shading, or with advanced solar penetration
  • Whole-building energy/carbon (by end use)
  • Benchmark against Architecture 2030 Challenge
  • Max/min results for temperature, humidity and comfort at a room level
  • Per room peak loads breakdown based on dynamic simulation
• Heating/Cooling Loads Calculation
  • Production of building, system and room heating/cooling loads figures, including peak loads, loads breakdown and cooling air flow rates
  • Choice of ASHRAE and CIBSE calculation methods
• Daylight/Solar Shading Simulation
  • Assess daylight levels against a fixed threshold with model and tabular results
  • Create a Solar Shading animation across a choice of date ranges
  • View real time shadows on 3D Model – choose the date and time you want (in ModelViewerII)
  • Visualise sun position in the sky in relation to the 3D Model (in ModelViewerII). You can choose to toggle on or off views which show: azimuth, altitude, defined time, sun rise and sun set times, autumn equinox, summer & winter solstices
  • Video animations can be created across time periods (in ModelViewerII)
• Low/Zero-Carbon Technologies
  • Feasibility assessment of user selected renewables and low carbon technologies in relation to delivered energy and carbon emission mitigation

Revolutionary VE-Navigator Concept

Our innovative VE-Navigator concept provides a robust and detailed step-by-step structured workflow, which streamlines the process and ensures no step is missed.

• Revolutionary Interface
  • Easy to use workflow system
  • Step-by-step guidance from model setup, to data assignment, simulation and reporting
  • Concise reporting with interactive filters for easy interrogation
  • Cross browser compatibility for html reports
  • Ability to save the report as a .pdf file
• Unique Built-in QA Functionality
  • Design team collaboration: add and share notes
  • Track team progress: date/user stamp check box
  • Integrated guidance notes
• Analysis Automation
  • Improved modeling efficiency and accuracy
  • Significant time saving
  • Rapid iteration