Optimization

Optimization Methodology

Tuuli’s optimization algorithms leverage advanced AI, robust data sources, and proprietary methodologies to identify opportunities for reducing embodied and operational carbon. By automating complex analyses, these tools enable design teams to achieve meaningful carbon reductions efficiently.

Facade Operational and Embodied Carbon Trade-Offs

Tuuli evaluates different combinations of insulation and facade materials to find the best balance between embodied carbon (from materials) and operational carbon (from energy use). The algorithm runs lifecycle simulations, analyzing how material choices impact the building's energy efficiency and overall carbon footprint over time.

Balancing embodied and operational carbon is critical for minimizing the total environmental impact of a building. Without Tuuli, evaluating these trade-offs manually would require detailed knowledge of material performance, extensive data analysis, and time-consuming simulations. The sheer number of possible material combinations makes this process nearly impossible to conduct effectively without automated tools. Tuuli simplifies this complexity, delivering optimal solutions that improve energy efficiency and lower lifetime emissions while saving valuable time.

Material Swaps

Tuuli’s AI-driven material swap algorithm identifies equivalent materials and recommends three low-carbon alternatives tailored to your project’s requirements. By analyzing material properties like strength, durability, and composition, the algorithm matches these characteristics with data from the EC3 database. Recommendations focus on realistic, practical options, selecting materials in the 20th percentile of low-carbon alternatives to ensure feasibility. Examples:

• Concrete: Tuuli considers properties such as compressive strength, density, and durability. These factors are critical to ensure the structural integrity of the building. For example, if the original specification is for a 30 MPa concrete mix, Tuuli will search the EC3 database for lower-carbon mixes with similar compressive strength and performance. The system also accounts for regional material availability and specific cementitious material replacements, such as fly ash or ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS), which are proven to reduce the carbon intensity of concrete.

• Insulation:Tuuli assesses thermal resistance (R-value), fire resistance, and moisture control properties. This ensures that the alternative insulation materials provide equivalent energy efficiency and safety performance. For instance, if a building design specifies rigid foam insulation, Tuuli’s algorithm may recommend lower-carbon alternatives such as mineral wool or cellulose insulation, depending on the project’s climate zone and performance requirements.

Choosing alternative materials manually is a challenging and time-consuming process. Without Tuuli, teams would need to sift through extensive material databases to find suitable options that balance sustainability with structural and design requirements. Furthermore, ensuring low-carbon materials meet project specifications demands expertise that may not always be available. Tuuli automates this process, providing reliable, actionable recommendations that foster collaboration between architects and engineers while supporting carbon reduction goals.

Massing and Orientation Optimization

During the schematic design phase, Tuuli explores multiple massing models and orientations to identify configurations that reduce both embodied and operational carbon. By analyzing factors like structural efficiency, material use, and energy performance, the algorithm highlights design options that balance sustainability with functional and aesthetic goals.

Early-stage decisions about a building’s massing and orientation have a profound impact on its carbon footprint. Without Tuuli, evaluating these options manually would require significant time, specialized tools, and a deep understanding of carbon implications. By automating this process, Tuuli enables design teams to make informed decisions early, avoiding costly changes later while ensuring the building meets carbon reduction targets.

Tailored Strategies

Tuuli uses an internal database of proven carbon reduction strategies, matched to the specific characteristics of your building. The AI algorithm identifies strategies that align with your project’s needs, providing detailed recommendations for both embodied and operational carbon reductions. Each recommendation includes actionable insights, such as specific material changes or design adjustments.

Manually identifying strategies that suit a building’s unique requirements demands extensive research, expertise, and time. Teams risk overlooking valuable opportunities for carbon reduction without access to a centralized knowledge base or advanced analytics. Tuuli bridges this gap by delivering tailored, data-driven recommendations that have been validated in real-world projects. This ensures your design benefits from the most effective strategies available, helping you achieve ambitious carbon reduction goals efficiently.

Decarbonization Roadmaps

By automating these critical processes, Tuuli empowers project teams to make data-driven decisions that maximize carbon reductions while maintaining design and project goals. Using the results from these with the support of a solutions engineer, Tuuli creates custom decarbonization roadmaps for each building. Learn more about how you can interact with these roadmaps on the Decarbonization Roadmaps page.