INTEGRATED DESIGN PROCESS

Virtualwind is a particularly valuable tool in support of design teams that are following an Integrated Design Process (IDP). In an IDP, all members of the design team are involved, and can benefit from the information that Virtualwind provides. Members of an IDP team can include the folowing:

•   Owner / developer

•   Designers (architects, engineers and consultants)

•   Construction team (contractors)

•   Maintenance staff

•   End users

In addition, it is beneficial to involve stakeholders and influencers outside the design team, such as city/state/federal planners, environmental licensors, etc. The goal of the IDP is to adopt sustainable design principles and objectives. The benefit is that early considerations of "green" principles can significantly reduce costs.

Because the Virtualwind front-end is provided as a plug-in to Google SketchUp, IDP teams can easily create site models very early in the process, and jointly review informative visualizations and data analyses of important micro-climate information. If the team determines that changes are required, they can be implemented in the model and re-analyzed at a time in the design process when changes are most easily accommodated and the cost of these changes is at a minimum.

An IDP recognizes the complexity and interdependence of a sustainable design, and establishes a design process that insures the integration of all disciplines. IDP workshops, or charrettes, are used to develop integrated design concepts. The microclimate results from Virtualwind simulations can be output as AVIs or PNGs, which can be easily reviewed during these charrettes without the requirement to run the full Virtualwind program. The compelling visual representation enables effective interaction by all members of the team.