According to engineer M. Dennis Knight, P.E., founder and CEO of Whole Building Systems and ASHRAE board member, in early-stage design processes accuracy trumps precision. Knight notes that practitioners often confuse accuracy with precision when performing Building Performance Analysis (BPA). However, in early-phase modeling, when comparing alternatives, accuracy of results takes priority.
Accuracy lets the building owner and design team make more informed decisions than using a precise forecasted performance. According to Knight, if early-phase comparisons use consistent workflows and methods, and our simulation tools provide results that are “close enough” to known values in building performance, then results should be accurate enough to inform better decisions. Precision, he argues, involves detailed, expensive modeling not needed early in the design process.
Advanced tools within the Autodesk AEC Collection, including Revit and Insight, deliver the accurate feedback…