Tools | NEDUET

Eco-vision - VR Based App Development of Energy Efficient House

Eco-vision is a VR application that has been developed to give the users an immersive experience. While the user is immersed in the virtual environment, they can go through the house and experience it as if they were exploring the actual constructed house. In the VR application, there are different panels that provide information about the current Energy User Intensity (EUI) of the design, and there are alternate design interventions they could choose from, which can have a significant impact on the EUI of the house. The options they choose will be shown in the report that they can access at any time. The final report will contain every option they chose so that all the design interventions can be seen all at once, and the impact due to those design interventions can be understood.

Figure: Eco-vision VR app interface

Experience Eco-Vision in Action

Integrated Design Process (IDP)

It has been the norm in construction to use 2D plans for design conformance but it is very easy for people to misunderstand different aspects in the engineering drawings provided. This issue raised concern as it consumes a lot of time and create confusion. Therefore, instead of using 2D plans for design conformance, the idea of using Virtual Reality in the design conformance phase can prove to be helpful by providing people ease to understand what other professional is suggesting or what energy efficiency simulations results are proposing. To assess the applicability of this idea, a VR-based integrated design process was conducted and the idea was successfully implemented. A house was designed and a Virtual Reality application was made for its conformance. The application allows the people taking part in the Integrated Design Process, to visualize the design and make selection of energy efficient design features by viewing their impact on EUI. Firstly, for the design conformance by professionals regarding the proposed designs during IDP, the industry professionals including designers, architects and energy experts were invited. These people were given access to the VR headset and the IDP was conducted for conformance of our proposed designs. Every person was accompanied by a facilitator to guide them through the process so that they could easily roam throughout the designed house in the design phase and getting help whenever they face any problem with the handling of VR devices. Figure shows the IDP in different stages.

Development of Visual Design Guide of Typical Residential Karachi Housing

A visual guide for typical houses has been developed by BEES to illustrate energy-efficient design concepts. The models were first created using Autodesk Revit, incorporating energy-efficient materials and appliances. A visual guide was then created using WordPress, making it accessible via a website where users can virtually walk through the house. Users can click on information icons to access details about the materials and appliances used, enhancing their understanding of the design's energy efficiency.