Technical and Business Information to Help AEC and MEP Professionals Address Sustainability, Certification, and Human Comfort Design Issues

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — February 17, 2011 — Blue Ridge Numerics, Inc., the leader in upfront CFD software, today announced the availability of “ Upfront CFD for the Built Environment,” an in-depth new eZine that provides real-world case studies and critical design information for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) and Mechanical, Engineering, and Plumbing (MEP) professionals. The eZine looks at how AEC/MEP firms of all sizes can integrate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis upfront in the design and engineering process to more efficiently and cost-effectively achieve sustainability objectives, meet government certifications, and increase human comfort in new and existing building designs.

Upfront CFD software provides architectural designers and MEP engineers with an easy to use 3D simulation environment that enables validation and optimization of design issues such as thermal comfort, energy savings, occupant safety, and air quality using data directly from leading building information modeling (BIM) software systems. The new eZine provides a collection of articles that help AEC/MEP professionals address these issues, while saving clients significant amounts of time and money and providing a more accurate picture of the ongoing operating costs.

Key topics discussed in “Upfront CFD for the Built Environment”

• Case studies based on recent real-world applications of upfront CFD simulation
  • Interview with Jason Sambolt, LEED AP of SmithGroup, on use of Upfront CFD for Sustainability
  • DP Architects and UNStudio collaborate using BIM and upfront CFD in green practice
  • AlaJor Engineering improves client’s air quality and saves $100,000
  • Genesys Engineering brings more comfort and fewer contaminants to Yale Medical Lab
  • Morson Projects ensures safe airflow in parking garage design
• Critical issues facing AEC/MEP firms
  • LEED Certification: CFD Brings Sustainability Upfront in the Design Process
  • Data Center Cooling: Controlling the data center’s unquenchable energy thirst
  • ASHRAE Standards: ASHRAE sets down challenge to model a sustainable world
  • BIM Software: BIM-driven design simulation: an idea whose time has come
• Exploring CFD
  • 5 Vanishing CFD Myths
  • What to look for in an Upfront CFD software package

Jason Sambolt, LEED AP of SmithGroup, a national architectural, engineering, and interiors planning firm, interviewed in the eZine says, “Upfront CFD software has allowed SmithGroup to confidently implement new technology and ideas through proof of concept verification. For example, a room with a chilled beam system can be modeled quickly and easily during the design process to ensure thermal comfort will be maintained. Additionally, CFD can be used to determine the feasibility of a natural ventilation design for a retrofit of an existing building.”

Historically, CFD software has been viewed as a highly specialized application that required years of expertise. Now Upfront CFD enables architects, designers, and engineers to leverage CFD software right out of the box with very little training to simulate such needs as data center cooling, solar loading, smoke visualization, external wind loading, and energy audits.

“Upfront CFD can be applied to almost any architectural project, ranging from component-level studies to wind/wake studies on the scale of a city block and can be leveraged by both large and small AEC and MEP firms,” says Parker Wright, AEC segment manager for Blue Ridge Numerics. “Integrating CFD into the design process is helping firms increase agility, differentiate themselves from the competition, mitigate risk, and positively impact the bottom line.”