CAD Geometry & Building Analysis : Green design using BIM

This is an excellent background article by West Australian (now based in Wales UK) Dr Andrew Marsh, the developer of Ecotect environmental modeling software.
Having worked with Dr Marsh during my tenure at the University of South Australia, and then privately in London with Hamilton Associates UK, it would be hard to find a more dedicated and knowledgeable person in the field of environmental simulations and analysis.
I commend everyone to take some time out and asorb the enormous amount of information on both the Ecotect site, the Squ1 site, and the new site Natural Frequency.

"With an increasing regulatory emphasis on energy efficiency and building performance analysis within the design process, the need for a smooth and hassle-free conversion from CAD tool to analysis engine is becoming critical. This article considers the issues associated with such a transition, looking in detail at the kind of information required by different performance analysis / simulation tools and what is actually available in a typical CAD drawing. It looks at the various options available, including the growing influence of Industry Foundation Classes (IFCs) and gbXML, and what their impacts might be." >>Read more here >>

**Update: Read here for an annoucement by Autodesk at a recent Green Building conference. >>Read more here>>