VPL-Based code translation for automated compliance checking of building envelope energy efficiency

Conventional code compliance checking of building envelope energy efficiency is a complex process with tremendous manual calculation work. Automating the checking process can avoid potential calculation mistakes and allow designers to optimize building envelope design more efficiently. To this end, machine-readable code translation with high level of accuracy and correctness is a strong need. This paper thus presents a visual programming language (VPL)-based code translation approach for automated compliance checking of building envelope energy efficiency. Analysis of energy code for building envelope design in Hong Kong is first conducted to identify data sources and key intermediate checking requirements. Based on the identification, atomic methods are selected, and nested program are created, which gives designers and architects the flexibility to reuse these nodes to build or update relevant checking rules. Finally, an architecture of VPL-based energy code translation for overall thermal transfer value (OTTV) checking is presented for future verification of the performance of our approach.