A Panelization Design Tool to Inform Decisions About Façade Geometry and Environmental Performances

The energy upgrade of existing buildings is crucial to achieve the decar- bonization goals of 2050. While the current façade retrofit technologies are effective and well-tested, they present shortcomings in terms of installation time, disruption to users, etc. A paradigm shift is required to overcome these barriers and increase the renovation rate. Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) employing off-site elements offer a promising alternative; however, since practical knowledge about their selection and application is limited, they are still rarely adopted by designers. The objective of this paper is to propose a Panelization Design Tool, able to automate part of the design process in the early stages, to support designers and decision-makers in the choice of specific technologies for retrofitting facades with off-site fabricated panels. The tool provides information about the performances of each technology according to the Building Information Modeling (BIM) n-dimensions. In particular, this paper shows the potential of the tool to solve geometry and energy-related aspects with dedicated indicators.