Regions such as the European Union, Australia and California – that represent almost a quarter of the worlds’ GDP – already require performance assessment to comply with building regulations.
While countries that represent more than half of the worlds’ GDP like the USA, India, China, South Africa and the Middle East, have or are adopting voluntary building rating systems such as LEED, BREEAM, Green Star and Estidama, which also require performance assessment. These rating systems offer much more that just targets to reach, they define a structure by which sustainability is incorporated and considered within the whole design process.
Incorporating consideration of these regulation/rating requirements into the whole design process right from the start, ensures the highest level of compliance is achieved in the most cost and time effective manner. From feasibility and ballpark estimations at the beginning, right through to the detailed, actual compliance and certification calculations at the end.
At this moment, the most detailed compliance capabilities with the <Virtual Environment> suite are for LEED and LEED-INDIA credit interrogation and UK building regulation compliance (including Energy Performance and Display Energy Certificate generation). The VE-Toolkit for LEED® and VE-Gaia navigator for LEED® cover daylighting, comfort, water and renewables across LEED NC 3 & 2.2, Schools 1 & 3, and Core & Shell 2 & 3. The VE-Toolkit for LEED-INDIA and VE-Gaia Navigator for LEED-INDIA cover daylighting, comfort, water and renewables across LEED-INDIA NC v1 and Core & Shell v1.
VE-Toolkits and VE-Gaia Navigators for BREEAM and Green Star are currently in development. However, BREEAM and Green Star approaches are covered in the current VE-Toolkit and VE-Gaia Water capabilities.
The <VE Compliance> suite of modules within VE-Pro covers all routes for UK energy-reduction regulation compliance within all regions of the UK and Ireland, and for all building types; covering Part L, Section 6, Part J, EPCs, DECs and BERs. Other regional building regulation compliance, such as BCA part J and NABERS in Australia can also be assessed in our software through more general routes.
