Shaping High-Rise Towers to Meet BC Energy Step Code

Large commercial developments regularly require multi-phase build-outs. Each phase needs to comply with the energy code at the time of permit application which, in British Columbia (BC), can mean different stages of the BC Energy Step Code. These standards are performance-based codes that could be met by thousands of design solutions. In order to identify suitable and desirable design options, we developed and applied a parametric simulation and data sensitivity analysis workflow to explore a vast number of potential choices for a project. Based on this analysis, it is recommended that the design considers the interactions of floor plate, glazing ratio, shade depth at an early stage to produce in a more cohesive design and give weighted attention to different parameters to receive effective results.