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ICEbear is a room-based hourly thermal and daylight performance simulation tool conformed to fit the design processes of the early stage in architectural design practice. The tool is free of charge and currently works as a plugin to RHINO/GRASSHOPPER and SketchUp. |
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Visit our Youtube channel for various instruction videos - Click here!
Background
ICEbear is developed following the research framework described in this journal paper:
Purup P.B., Petersen S. Research framework for development of building performance simulation tools for early design stages. Automation in Construction (2020) 109, 102966
The thermal simulation in ICEbear makes use of its own implementation of the resistance-capacitance known from EN 13790.
Documentation: Purup P.B., Petersen S. Rapid Simulation of Various Types of HVAC Systems in the Early Design Stage. Energy Procedia 122 (2017) 469-474
Solar heat gain is calculated using its own implementation heavily inspired by the EnergyPlus solar algorithm.
Documentation: Petersen S., Broholt T., Christensen L., Purup P.B. Thermal Performance Simulation of Complex Fenestration Systems in the Early Design Stage. 4th IBPSA-England Conference. Cambridge, England. 2018
ICEbear has its own daylight calculation engine which besides daylight analysis also links the need for daylight-controlled electrical lighting to the thermal simulation. See the ph.d. dissetation of Pil Brix Purup: A practice-oriented approach to the development of building performance simulation tools fit for the early stages of building design
ICEbear has some of unique features, e.g. the ability to simulate the thermal performance of dynamic facades systems represented by BSDF data - for further details see "Petersen S., Broholt T., Christensen L., Purup P.B. Thermal Performance Simulation of Complex Fenestration Systems in the Early Design Stage. 4th IBPSA-England Conference. Cambridge, England. 2018"
Contact information
The development of ICEbear is managed by Aarhus University (AU), Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering.
Please email professor Steffen Petersen at Aarhus Universtiy if you have questions, suggestions, or ideas for collaboration.