Estimation of Potential Transportation and Building Energy Performance of Commercial Office Site Alternatives

Abstract

The energy efficiency of urban infrastructure is in large part influenced by the efficient utilization of transportation and building systems. Opportunities for more efficient utilization of transportation and building systems are available in the context of commercial office building/site selection. Office location decision makers have an opportunity to select buildings and locations that potentially minimize building and transportation energy consumption within a given urban context. The objective of the research presented in this paper was to apply a calculation framework for estimating the potential transportation energy and building energy consumption of commercial office building/site alternatives. The calculation framework was applied to case studies of commercial office buildings/sites that represent typical developments found in the transportation and land-use context of the Atlanta, Georgia, metropolitan region. The framework leverages building energy simulation models and regional travel demand model data to estimate energy performance under uncertainty. Importantly, the calculation results indicate that transportation is a major determinant of commercial office building/site energy performance. Incorporation of the framework into sustainable development policy or market transformation tools (e.g., green building rating systems) could accommodate more performance-based planning of efficient infrastructure utilization.