CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
17 February 2010
Implementation Investments
Vital Engineering to Deploy Bentley’s Hevacomp Simulator V8i on $80 Million, Mixed-Use Complex to Achieve Net-Zero Energy Impact
Bentley Systems, Incorporated announced that Vital Engineering Corporation, a mechanical engineering consulting firm focused on sustainability, has selected Bentley’s Hevacomp Simulator V8i building energy simulation software to perform energy analysis on the $80 million, mixed-use Station Pointe complex in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and achieve net-zero energy impact. Project success hinges on the team’s ability to meet the energy requirements for this immense complex, which in its current conceptual state contains a multi-story condominium, townhouse buildings, and a 16-story residential tower. Hevacomp Simulator V8i will be used to perform energy analysis for 200-plus living units and commercial establishments on the ground level to help the firm create a better-performing, more-sustainable building complex.
The limitations of its current energy modeling software led Vital Engineering to examine several energy modeling packages. It determined that Hevacomp Simulator V8i, with its EnergyPlus analysis engine developed by the U.S. Department of Energy, is the most robust energy modeling package on the market. It also cited Bentley’s excellent support of its Hevacomp software and future plans for expanding the capabilities of the graphical interface as major factors in its selection of Hevacomp Simulator V8i for this and future projects.
“We did an internal investigation of all currently available energy-modeling tools and concluded that Hevacomp would best suit our needs now and into the future,” said Jacob Komar, energy modeling team lead, Vital Engineering. “The consensus was that EnergyPlus is a robust engine that performs hydronics very well. As a geothermal engineering firm, this is very important to us. Hevacomp’s capabilities and its front-end interface with EnergyPlus weighed heavily in our decision.”
Komar continued, “While Hevacomp Simulator is new to the North American market, the knowledge that it is the U.K.’s leading simulation software was also a factor in our adoption of this technology. Moreover, Bentley’s role in further developing the technology makes us confident that the many capabilities and excellent value it already provides will only increase. For now, we look forward to enjoying a good return on our investment in this innovative software as it helps us effectively meet our energy modeling and analysis challenges.”
Vital Engineering expects to begin energy analysis on Station Pointe in mid 2010. In the interim, Komar said, the design team will begin in-depth training on Hevacomp Simulator and use the software on a number of LEED projects it is currently designing.
Hevacomp Simulator V8i, along with Hevacomp Mechanical Designer V8i and Bentley Tas Simulator V8i, is part of Bentley’s Energy Performance Series. This software for building energy design, analysis, and simulation makes it possible for engineers, architects, and energy assessors to better understand and accurately predict the energy consumption, CO2 emissions, operating costs, and occupant comfort of projects ranging from small and simple to very large and highly complex. Bentley’s Energy Performance Series has been proven in the very demanding U.K. market for the design and construction of high performance “green” buildings and now supports United States and Canadian standards.
For additional information about Bentley’s Energy Performance Series, visit www.bentley.com/green.
Become a member of the CIMdata PLM Community to receive your daily PLM news and much more.
Tell us what you think of the CIMdata Newsletter. Send your feedback.
CIMdata is committed to your privacy. Your personal information will never be sold or shared outside of CIMdata without your express permission.