Energy Transition: Semi-Automatic BIM Tool Approach for Elevating Sustainability in the Maputo Natural History Museum

Abstract

Mozambique is experiencing the consequences of a severe energy crisis with economic and social impacts. Its strict dependence on hydroelectric sources is being severely tested by recent droughts that have drastically reduced water levels in dams. However, Mozambique is addressing energy poverty by exploring renewable energy sources thanks to investments in the sector by the European Union. The research concerns an energy analysis profile of the country and the penetration of renewable energy, presenting an energy upgrading scope through a semi-automatic calculation methodology in a Building Information Modeling (BIM) environment. The building under study, located in Maputo, is the Natural History Museum, which plays an important role in biodiversity conservation. Therefore, this paper proposes a BIM methodology for sizing an environmental control system tailored to serve the museum. The proposed system replaces the previous one and includes a photovoltaic system that not only meets the museum’s load but also supplies electricity to the surrounding area. Energy production from renewable sources with a surplus of 30% has been achieved. The proposed digital methodology has identified a maximum gap of 1.5% between the dimensions of the BIM duct and those of a traditional plant design, meeting ASHRAE requirements for environmental control.

Spatial Modelling Analysis for Potential Expansion of Cipanas City Candidate Area as Autonomous City

“…Standard policies in resource management and increased energy efficiency are produced by improving the accuracy and precision of energy models. DT system was proposed based on the integration of software such as Building Information Modelling (BIM) and GIS (Agostinelli et al, 2022;Piras & Muzi, 2024). The ability to accurately forecast energy needs facilitates efficient and sustainable infrastructure planning (Lamagna et al, 2021).…”

Towards High-Efficiency Buildings for Sustainable Energy Transition: Standardized Prefabricated Solutions for Roof Retrofitting

“…Numerous methodologies and tools have been developed to support the decisionmaking process towards a conscious and effective promotion of energy efficiency through the renovation of the building envelope such as "façade refurbishment toolbox (FRT) approach" [25], a bottom-up model for analyzing the Italian residential sector [26], IEE-TABULA Project (Typology Approach for Building Stock Energy Assessment) [27], and others [28][29][30][31]. Even the most recent Building Information Modeling (BIM) methodology supports energy efficiency enhancement processes.…”