Estonia Workshops, 12-16 June 2018

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We are delighted to officially announce the schedule for our week-long workshop series in Tallinn, Estonia on June 12-16, 2018. Chris Mackey, Co-Founder of Ladybug Tools, will teach energy modeing, microclimate mapping, and optimization/paramtric workflows from 14 to 16 June. The workshop will be opened by Francesco De Luca, Research Scientist at Tallinn University of Technology, who will tutor on June 12-13 about ladybug workflows, solar design, and daylight analysis. See the table below for dates and topics. There are limited number of seats for each workshop. Please secure your seat as soon as possible. Register here.

We are offering discounts for those who attend any of the workshops on June 14-16: For each of the days 3-5 attended, you will get one of days 1-2 at 60% of the price listed here. For those who attend all 5 days of workshops, you will get both days 1-2 at 30% of the price listed here. Email us the list of workshops that you are interested in and we will send you a discount code. The email address is (estonia.workshops.2018@ladybug.tools).

Participation is made possible by funding from the Baltic-American Freedom Foundation (BAFF). For more information about BAFF scholarships and speaker support, visit www.balticamericanfreedomfoundation.org.

Date Time Topic
Tuesday
June 12 2018		 10:00 am - 6:00 pm #1 Ladybug essentials (8 hrs)
See detailed curriculum
Wednesday
June 13 2018		 10:00 am - 6:00 pm #2 Fundamentals of Daylighting with Honeybee Grasshopper (8 hrs)
See detailed curriculum
Thursday
June 14 2018		 10:00 am - 6:00 pm #3 Energy Modeling with Honeybee (8 hrs)
See detailed curriculum
Friday
June 15 2018		 10:00 am - 6:00 pm #4 Microclimate Mapping and Thermal Comfort Modeling with Honeybee (8 hrs)
See detailed curriculum
Saturday
June 16 2018		 10:00 am - 6:00 pm #5 Automated Iterative Modeling + Analysis (8 hrs)
See detailed curriculum

#1 Ladybug Essentials
Tuesday, June 12 2018
10:00 am - 6:00 pm

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The one-day Ladybug workshop will provide attendees with the ability to explore the relationship between weather data and environmental design decisions. The workshop will include a brief introduction into building environmental design and weather data analysis. In this workshop you will learn how to:

  • Import and visualize weather data
  • Draw interactive diagrams and apply conditional statements
  • Run radiation analysis to evaluate design options
  • Design shading devices for specific time conditions
  • Perform solar access analysis to evaluate design options
  • Generate maximum building massing for rights of light

Prerequisites

  • Basic knowledge of parametric modeling in Grasshopper is not required but is recommended.
  • Rhino 5.0 or 6.0
  • Grasshopper 0.0.0076 or higher
  • Ladybug + Honeybee legacy plugins. Download the latest legacy version from Food4Rhino and follow the installation instruction.
  • For this workshop you do not need to install Radiance, EnergyPlus or OpenStudio.

Curriculum

Time Topic Description Level Duration
10:00 to 10:15 Introduction This presentation provides an overview of Ladybug Analysis Tools and its applications in different stages of the design process with focus on Ladybug applications. Beginner 15 min
10:15 to 11:30 Weather data analysis and visualization The workshop starts with a series of hands-on tutorials to develop workflows to analyze and visualize weather data. The attendees will be introduced to techniques for filtering and combining weather data to answer a specific environmental design question and come up with an early design decision. Beginner
Ladybug		 75 min
11:30 to 12:30 Radiation analysis This session introduces how to set up a radiation analysis using Ladybug. It is presented the use of the sky matrix and the options of using direct, diffuse or total solar radiation. Visualizations of the solar radiation dome will be performed. The session ends with an exercise about evaluation of design options using radiation analysis. Intermediate
Ladybug		 60 min
12:30 to 13:30 Lunch 60 min
13:30 to 14:45 Sunpath,
Shading design		 This session introduces the input and output of the sunpath component and their applicability. The session also present methods to design shading devices to block specific direct sun light hours or range of hours on building windows using custom script developed by the attendant and the available tool. Intermediate
Ladybug		 75 min
14:45 to 15:15 Direct solar access This session introduces the calculation of sun light hours using Ladybug. It is presented the different input and output and the visualization options. Additionally a method to calculate minimum sunlight hours on a daily base is presented. Intermediate
Ladybug		 30 min
15:15 to 15:03 Break 15 min
15:30 to 16:30 Rights of light This session introduces standard tools and a workflow to generate maximum possible massing (solar envelopes) in an empty lot while meeting the code for minimum direct solar access on surrounding facades (rights of light) as a ratio of the existing situation. Intermediate
Ladybug		 60 min
16:30 to 18:00 Design Challenge The design challenge of day 1 explains the process of evaluating design solutions against solar rights and minimum direct solar access. The attendant will chose optimal solutions of different building clusters that guarantee the required quantity of sun light hours on new and existing buildings. Intermediate
Ladybug		 90 min
18:00 End of workshop  

#2 Fundamentals of Daylighting with Honeybee Grasshopper
Wednesday, June 13 2018
10:00 am - 6:00 pm

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This workshop covers essential material for effective daylighting simulation with Honeybee including grid-based and image-based analysis, daylight factor, point-in-time and climate-based annual daylight simulation. Glare analysis is also presented. The session has an introduction to principles of daylight simulation and reviews inputs and outputs of each simulation. In this workshop, you will learn how to:

  • Prepare geometry for daylight simulation
  • Set Radiance materials and different Radiance skies
  • Perform image-based daylight studies
  • Perform glare analysis
  • Run grid-based daylight studies
  • Generate customized result visualization

Prerequisites

  • Basic knowledge of parametric modeling in Grasshopper is not required but is recommended.
  • Rhino 5.0 or 6.0
  • Grasshopper 0.0.0076 or higher
  • Ladybug + Honeybee legacy plugins. Download the latest legacy version from Food4Rhino and follow the installation instruction.
  • Radiance 5.1.0 or higher. Download and install Radiance from GitHub. Ensure Radiance is installed in a folder with no space or non-ASCII characters.
  • For this workshop you do not need to install EnergyPlus or OpenStudio.

Curriculum

Time Topic Description Level Duration
10:00 to 10:15 Introduction This lecture provides an introduction to daylight simulation and Radiance Beginner 15 min
10:15 to 11:00 Materials
Skies		 This session introduces attendees to two of the most important inputs for a daylight simulation (materials and skies) and how to set them up in Honeybee. Beginner
Honeybee		 45 min
11:00 to 11:45 Running image-based
daylight simulations		 This session introduces the attendees to image-based recipes for daylight simulation as well as how to prepare customized result for the visualization of Illuminance and Radiation. Intermediate
Honeybee		 45 min
11:45 to 12:30 Introduction to glare analysis This session will build on the image-based simulations of the previous hour to assess glare on single image simulating Luminance of the environment surfaces and using the Daylight Glare Probability metric. Intermediate
Honeybee		 45 min
12:30 to 13:30 Lunch 60 min
13:30 to 14:30 Grid-based simulations
(daylight factor)		 This session introduces the attendees to grid-based recipes for daylight simulation. The first type of simulation analyzed is Daylight Factor. Uniformity and code compliant parametric calculations are also presented. Intermediate
Honeybee		 60 min
14:30 to 15:15 Point-in-time illuminance Using the grid-based analysis that has already been set up, we will now run a point-in-time Illuminance study. Intermediate
Honeybee		 45 min
15:15 to 15:30 Break 15 min
15:30 to 16:30 Annual climate-based daylight simulation and metrics This session provides an introduction to annual daylight analysis and how to use it during the design process. Will be presented the metrics Daylight Autonomy, Continuous Daylight Autonomy, Spatial Daylight Autonomy and Useful Daylight Illuminance. Advanced
Honeybee		 60 min
16:30 to 18:00 Design Challenge Participants will apply what they learned by designing a facade system to maximize daylight while minimizing harmful solar radiation and glare. Advanced
Honeybee		 90 min
18:00 End of workshop  

#3 Energy Modeling with Honeybee
Thursday, June 14 2018
10:00 am - 6:00 pm

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This course covers essential workflows for energy simulation with Honeybee. Participants will learn how to:

  • Prepare geometry for different Honeybee energy modeling workflows
  • Edit zone properties to model both actively heated/cooled and passive buildings
  • Run energy simulations
  • Evaluate the impact of energy conservation strategies on energy use, thermal comfort, and heating/cooling system size
  • Interpret and visualize results using flood plots, energy balances, and zone geometry colored with simulation data

Prerequisites

  • Familiarity with basic energy modeling principles is highly recommended.
  • Basic knowledge of parametric modeling in Grasshopper is not required but is recommended.
  • Rhino 5.0 or 6.0
  • Grasshopper 0.0.0076 or higher
  • Ladybug + Honeybee legacy plugins. Download the latest legacy version from Food4Rhino and follow the installation instruction.
  • OpenStudio 2.5

Curriculum

Time Topic Description Level Duration
10:00 to 10:30 Introduction to energy modeling with visual scripting interfaces This presentation provides an overview of the advantages of building energy models in scripting interfaces like Grasshopper. Intermediate 30 min
10:30 to 12:00 Building a simple unconditioned model The workshop starts by walking through the minimum amount of info needed to build an energy model of a single room. This session will end with running the model and visualizing the hourly temperature within the room. Lastly, the temperature data will be run through a thermal comfort model. Intermediate
Honeybee		 90 min
12:00 to 12:15 Break 15 min
11:45 to 12:30 Opening windows for natural ventilation To improve comfort, we will allow occupants to open windows and learn how to assign schedules for window opening. Intermediate
Honeybee		 15 min
12:30 to 13:00 Adding shade to an energy model After observing the hourly temperature within the model, we will try to improve the comfort conditions by adding shade. Intermediate
Honeybee		 30 min
13:00 to 14:00 Lunch 60 min
14:00 to 14:30 Multi-zone energy model workflows To finish off the passive design of the space, we will break up or test box model into multiple zones to understand if some spaces are more comfortable than others. Intermediate
Honeybee		 30 min
14:30 to 15:00 Color zones with simulation results We will visualize the thermal environment of the model by coloring the zones with their temperature. Intermediate
Honeybee		 30 min
15:00 to 16:00 Energy balances We will look at energy balance graphics for different building types and build a graphic for the morning’s model. Advanced
Honeybee		 60 min
16:00 to 16:15 Break 15 min
16:15 to 16:45 Surface-by-surface workflows We will build a simple shoebox model using a surface-by-surface workflow. This type of model is suitable for parametric studies looking at a range of different facade options Advanced
Honeybee		 30 min
16:45 to 17:15 Adding HVAC systems We will add a fully-detailed HVAC system to the shoe box model. We will calculate energy use intensity from the results. Advanced
Honeybee		 30 min
17:15 to 17:30 Break 15 min
17:30 to 18:00 Parametric sensitivity studies We will use the simple test box model to which we added that HVAC in order to understand the relationship between glazing ratio, energy use, and HVAC size. Advanced
Honeybee		 30 min
18:00 End of workshop  

#4 Microclimate mapping and thermal comfort modeling with Honeybee
Friday, June 15 2018
10:00 am - 6:00 pm

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This course covers workflows for evaluating thermal comfort and creating microclimate maps with Honeybee, which are essential for the design of passive buildings and comfortable outdoor spaces. In this workshop, you will learn how to:

  • Calculate hourly thermal comfort from energy model results
  • Plot thermal conditions from energy models on psychrometric and adaptive comfort charts
  • Use energy model results to build detailed microclimate maps of building interiors
  • Map local discomfort from drafts

Prerequisites

Curriculum

Time Topic Description Level Duration
10:00 to 10:30 Introduction to thermal comfort We will briefly review the inputs and history of the two main indoor thermal comfort models: PMV and Adaptive. Beginner
Lecture		 30 min
10:30 to 11:15 Running energy model results through comfort models We will open a pre-prepared Grasshopper script for a passive, unconditioned house energy model and run the results through the PMV and Adaptive models. Intermediate
Honeybee		 45 min
11:15 to 12:15 Plotting energy model results on Psychrometric + adaptive charts Next, we will plot energy model results on psychrometric and adaptive comfort charts. In this process, we will learn about the different criteria of the models Intermediate
Honeybee		 60 min
12:15 to 13:00 Coloring zones with average microclimate We’ll open a pre-prepared version of the same building but with a separate zone for each room and understand the thermal diversity across the house. Intermediate
Honeybee		 45 min
13:00 to 14:00 Lunch 60 min
14:00 to 15:30 Understanding Detailed Microclimate Maps Moving over to a test box energy model, we will gradually build up an understanding of all the calculations that go into building a detailed microclimate map Advanced
Honeybee		 90 min
15:30 to 15:45 Break 15 min
15:45 to 16:30 Scaling detailed thermal comfort maps to large models After reviewing the fundamentals from the morning, we will switch to running a multi-zone model of the house and produce detailed microclimate maps of the space in the hottest week of the year. Advanced
Honeybee		 45 min
16:30 to 17:15 Mapping outdoor microclimate and evaluating passive strategies We will test different passive strategies including shade, thermal mass, and earth tubes to ultimately make a house comfortable. Advanced
Honeybee		 45 min
17:15 to 17:30 Winter thermal comfort condition Most of the examples that we have been working with thus far are for getting rid of a cooling system in hot conditions. So, here we will spend some time exploring the relationship between facade insulation and winter thermal comfort. Advanced
Honeybee		 15 min
17:30 to 18:00 Local discomfort from downdraft and radiant asymmetry We will open a pre-prepared script for evaluating winter thermal comfort and draft discomfort near windows. Advanced
Honeybee		 30 min
18:00 End of workshop  

#5 Automated Iterative Modeling + Analysis
Saturday, June 16 2018
10:00 am - 6:00 pm

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This workshop covers the best practices for setting up, running, and visualizing automated parametric studies. In this workshop, you will learn how to:

  • Set up a Grasshopper script to solve for a simple optimization problem using animated sliders
  • Set up a Grasshopper script to solve a complex optimization problem using Galapagos
  • Recognize when it’s better to visualize a design space instead of solving for the optimum
  • Build a parametric energy model that represents a set of criteria you are interested in studying
  • Automatically run through the design space of all possible combinations of these criteria
  • Visualize your results using Design Explorer

Prerequisites

  • Basic knowledge of parametric modeling in Grasshopper is not required but is recommended.
  • Rhino 5.0 or 6.0
  • Grasshopper 0.0.0076 or higher
  • Ladybug + Honeybee legacy plugins. Download the latest legacy version from Food4Rhino and follow the installation instruction.
  • OpenStudio 2.5
  • TTToolbox plugin. Download the latest released version from Food4Rhino.
  • A Google account with Google Drive (just the default account is ok and there’s no need to pay for additional space).

Curriculum

Time Topic Description Level Duration
10:00 to 10:30 Introduction to parametric modeling This lecture provides a brief introduction to parametric modeling in the building industry. Beginner 30 min
10:30 to 11:30 Solving for a simple optimization problem We’ll begin by building a parametric model to find the optimal tilt angle for a photovoltaic panel. Beginner
Honeybee		 60 min
11:30 to 11:45 Break 15 min
11:45 to 12:15 Solving for a simple optimization problem We’ll add more complexity to our previous model by adding the azimuth angle (in addition to the altitude that we have been working with) Intermediate
Honeybee		 30 min
12:15 to 13:00 Using Galapagos to find the optimum After realizing the time it takes to solve the more complex issue with our previous methods, we will try another strategy - the Galapagos evolutionary solver. Intermediate
Honeybee		 45 min
13:00 to 14:00 Lunch (running galapagos) 60 min
14:00 to 15:00 Visualizing design spaces After recognizing the limits of optimization, we will try a different strategy - visualizing the design space for the problem that we have been working on. Then, we will visualize another design space - the desirability of shade around a window. Advanced
Honeybee		 60 min
15:00 to 16:00 Building a parametric model Here we will set up a parametric test box model using Honeybee to run the energy simulation and TTToolbox to record results. Intermediate
Honeybee		 60 min
16:00 to 16:15 Break (running the model) 15 min
16:15 to 16:45 Visualizing results in Design Explorer We’ll upload the results that we generated during the break to Google Drive and then visualize them in Design Explorer. Advanced
Honeybee		 30 min
16:45 to 17:45 Sensitivity analysis - comparing the magnitude of strategies After loading results into Design Explorer, we will look at other means of processing the data to draw conclusions and make recommendations. Advanced
Honeybee		 60 min
17:45 to 18:00 Tips and tricks We’ll briefly cover a few useful tips, including how to run parametric studies in parallel and other means of visualizing results. Advanced
Honeybee		 15 min
18:00 End of workshop