A team of MIT researchers has developed a computer simulation that can optimize building design, balancing the energy use of a building with the energy requirements for making the building materials themselves. Now that new construction is becoming more and more efficient, the energy costs of construction materials is a growing percentage of total energy used.
This new approach can help architects and structural engineers in the early stages of conceptualizing a new building rather than making changes for efficiency after the concept has been fully developed. The researches are also investigating the inclusion of monetary cost and constructability in their modeling as additional factors that can be optimized.
Click here to read the full article from MIT News.