Generational project Buchrain: How dynamic building simulation ensures maximum comfort in large timber hybrid construction
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
The Buchrain intergenerational project represents the future of urban and sustainable living. In the heart of the Lucerne municipality, a vibrant village center is being built using a pioneering timber hybrid construction method, uniting apartments, the municipal administration, a library, and a daycare center under one roof. However, such a dense, multifunctional mixed-use development places the highest demands on the energy concept and the indoor climate. To avoid planning errors and guarantee maximum comfort from the outset, Timbatec relied on BOP's expertise in simulating summer heat protection. The early application of dynamic building simulations enabled the project to be optimized, overheating risks eliminated, and reliable planning security established for all project stakeholders.
The starting point: High dynamism meets sensitive uses
Modern timber-hybrid buildings offer an excellent environmental footprint and are key to climate-friendly construction. However, compared to solid concrete buildings, they have a lower thermal mass and therefore need to be assessed and potentially optimized. The risk of summer overheating increases rapidly, particularly in buildings with large window areas, during summer heat waves, and in buildings with high internal heat loads.
The planners faced a fundamental question: How does the building behave with regard to overheating on hot summer days, and how can good thermal comfort and ambitious sustainability goals be reconciled without the use of energy-intensive air conditioning? A statistical analysis of individual critical rooms was insufficient to obtain reliable answers. Only the application of a dynamic simulation enabled the necessary and holistic view of the building.
Our solution: Integrated optimization for timber hybrid construction over several phases
BOP accompanied the project through several planning phases as a reliable simulation partner. In close and collaborative partnership with the building physicists (Timbatec Holzbauingenieure AG), the architects (Roider Giovanoli Architekten) and the building services engineers (Zurfluh Lottenbach), a detailed digital model of the building was created.
Already in the preliminary project phase, we conducted comprehensive simulations of thermal comfort across the entire building. The results immediately revealed weaknesses and critical areas. Based on this clear data foundation, BOP was able to work with the stakeholders to develop optimization strategies. These included adjusting the window areas on the critical facades, optimizing the operating parameters of the building services, and refining the automated shading concept.
In the subsequent construction project phase, the model, incorporating the optimizations from specialists and architects, was simulated again. This demonstrated that the adjustments were effective and that the thermal comfort requirements according to SIA standards could be reliably met.
At the same time, BOP used the simulation model to dynamically determine the heating and cooling demand throughout the year. Instead of relying on static peak values, the dynamic load profiles provided precise data on the actual energy demand over the course of the year. This served as fundamental input data for the HVAC planners to accurately dimension the HVAC systems and ground source heat pumps.
The result: Concrete results and sustainable cost savings
BOP's simulation transformed planning uncertainties into measurable facts and provided crucial advantages to the entire planning team:
Optimized user comfort: By optimizing the facade and shading, the number of overheating hours in critical rooms has been significantly reduced. Users benefit from first-class comfort – even under future climate scenarios.
Reduction of investment costs: Thanks to the precisely simulated heating and cooling capacity requirements, oversizing of the building services and the geothermal probe field can be avoided, which reduces investment costs in HVAC systems.
Efficient operation: By foregoing mechanical refrigeration systems and using free cooling via the ground probes with optimized flow temperatures, efficient and cost-effective operation can be ensured.
Conclusion: Data-driven planning security for future-oriented architecture
The Buchrain intergenerational project proves that ambitious timber hybrid architecture, high sustainability requirements, and maximum user comfort can be perfectly combined – if data is used as a basis for decision-making. BOP's dynamic building simulation gave all involved parties the necessary confidence to make well-informed decisions.
Would you like to lay a solid, future-proof foundation for your construction project right from the start and benefit from maximum planning certainty? Contact the experts at BOP for a free initial consultation on our dynamic building simulations.
