What the Project Is
FenestraPro is a façade design platform that identifies sustainable, energy-reducing solutions for architects, designers, and engineers. It applies statistical methods to optimize performance and ensure that every aspect of the project benefits from data-backed decisions… The façade influences more than half of a building’s energy use, and FenestraPro intelligently tackles this challenge by pinpointing solutions that mitigate project cost, reduce energy use, and increase occupant comfort. In today’s fast-paced design world, FenestraPro stands as an innovative guide throughout the entire project lifecycle—from early-stage conceptual design to late-stage detailed design—helping to eliminate the risk of late-stage redesign and meet local code compliance.
Main Benefit
- Identifies sustainable and energy-reducing solutions.
- Optimizes performance with statistical methods.
- Mitigates project cost while enhancing occupant comfort.
- Operates intuitively within the Revit workflow.
- Ensures early understanding of façade impacts on energy performance.
Seamless Integration with Revit and Autodesk Forma
The platform intuitively selects the appropriate glazing geometry and specification within the Revit workflow. It allows designers to visualize and apply window to wall ratio, alternative glazing distribution, and shading strategies to the model in seconds. With FenestraPro Envelope Analysis for Autodesk Forma, users gain unique insight into design decisions including window-wall ratios, glazing configuration and distribution, shading devices and strategies, as well as early-stage envelope materials and component specification like roof, wall, and glazing. This seamless integration means that the designer can iterate the optimal design based on performance, right within the familiar digital environment.
Early-Stage and Detailed Design Advantage
FenestraPro supports designers from early-stage conceptual design all the way to late-stage detailed design. The tool acts as a guide, ensuring that design decisions made early on have a long-lasting positive impact. It helps users immediately understand how their façade design and material selection affect performances such as heat loss, passive solar heat gains, and daylight factor. Such insights lead to better-informed design decisions and conveniently allow for quick iterations. There is an ease in applying code requirements or checking compliance with relevant Codes in the project location, which provides a clear picture of how design choices impact code adherence. This real-time feedback loop makes FenestraPro not just a design tool, but a troubleshooting companion.
Envelope Analysis Extension for Informed Decision-Making
FenestraPro for Forma is essentially an Envelope Analysis Extension that supports users to make informed decisions regarding the building envelope in real time. It provides early-stage understanding of the impacts of the building envelope on the internal spaces of the building, and even sheds light on how they relate to energy performance and carbon impacts. By leveraging these detailed insights, FenestraPro enables designers to experiment with various envelope configurations, adjust window-wall ratios, and consider alternative glazing distribution and shading strategies in a dynamic, iterative manner… This hands-on approach ensures that design decisions are data-supported from the earliest moments of proposal development.
Rapid Prototyping and Model Exportation
With FenestraPro, the process is streamlined—designers can quickly export the Envelope from a Forma Proposal to Revit. This feature automatically creates detailed envelope geometry and component families, with material properties matching the selections made in Forma. The tool is designed to iterate the optimal design quickly, making it highly valuable during fast-paced projects where design adjustments happen in real time. The ability to see the impact of different design choices through visual feedback has transformed the way building envelopes are developed, ensuring a high level of precision and correctness in later stages of construction documentation.
Project Impact
- SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy – Reduced energy use through optimized façade design.
- SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure – Innovative integration with Autodesk Forma and Revit enhances industry standards.
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities – Focused on enhancing occupant comfort while improving energy performance.
- SDG 13: Climate Action – Contributes to reducing carbon impacts through efficient energy strategies.
Improving Design Efficiency and User Experience
FenestraPro not only proves its worth in energy efficiency and code compliance but also improves the overall design experience. Designers experience an intuitive interface that supports quick modifications and rapid prototyping. The application of performance-based design through features such as shading strategies, self-shading analysis, and assessments of surrounding building impacts on daylighting introduces a casual yet powerful way to explore alternative design routes… By aligning technical analysis with creative freedom, FenestraPro remains a crucial tool for ensuring a holistic approach to building envelope design. It transforms complex design parameters into easily digestible insights that speak directly to sustainability and design efficiency.
