Techy Word of the Week: Integrated Design Process (IDP)

Roadmap for the Integrated Design Process

Prepared by BUSBY PERKINS+WILL and STANTEC CONSULTING

The integrated design process is an approach to building design that seeks to achieve high performance on a wide variety of well-defined environmental and social goals while staying within budgetary and scheduling constraints. It relies upon a multidisciplinary and collaborative team whose members make decisions together based on a shared vision and a holistic understanding of the project. It follows the design through the entire project life, from pre-design through occupancy and into operation.

source: http://www.greenspacencr.org/events/IDProadmap.pdf

Canadian Architect: An Integrated Design Process (IDP)

In the Integrated Design Process (IDP) the client takes a more active role than usual, the architect becomes a team leader rather than the sole form-giver, and the structural, mechanical and electrical engineers take on active roles at early design stages.

The design process itself emphasizes the following sequence.

1. Establish performance targets for a broad range of parameters, and develop preliminary strategies to achieve these targets. Bring engineering perspectives to bear at the concept design stage to avoid a sub-optimal design solution.

2. Minimize heating and cooling loads through orientation, building configuration, an efficient building envelope and careful consideration of the amount, type and location of fenestration [TWOTW].

3. Meet heating and cooling loads through the maximum use of solar and other renewable technologies and the use of efficient HVAC systems, while maintaining performance targets for indoor air quality, thermal comfort, illumination levels and quality, and noise control.

4. Iterate the process to produce at least two, and preferably three, design concept alternatives, using energy simulations as a test of progress, and then select the most promising of these for further development (most often done in one- or two-day design charrettes [TWOTW]).

source: https://www.canadianarchitect.com/an-integrated-design-process-idp/