Basis of Design Overview
The Basis of Design section contains project-wide settings that affect how HVAKR calculates loads, airflows, and equipment sizing. These settings establish the design parameters for your project.
Sections
Section titled “Sections”General Information
Section titled “General Information”Basic project details including name, description, building type, and project contacts. This information appears on reports and helps organize your projects.
Weather
Section titled “Weather”Weather station selection and design conditions. HVAKR uses ASHRAE weather data to determine outdoor design temperatures for heating and cooling calculations.
Building Data
Section titled “Building Data”Define the thermal properties of your building envelope:
- Wall types with U-values and construction details
- Window types with solar heat gain coefficients
- Roof types with insulation values
- Slab types with F-factors for perimeter heat loss
- Door types with U-values and infiltration behavior
Space Types
Section titled “Space Types”Configure typical space characteristics:
- Occupancy density (people per square foot)
- Equipment and lighting loads
- Usage schedules
- Exhaust requirements
System Types
Section titled “System Types”Define project-wide system design parameters:
- A system description for reports
- Duct types with sizing criteria (max velocity, max pressure drop, max height, liner thickness)
- Register criteria per space type (register models and max flow rate, velocity, and NC for supply, return, and exhaust)
Sheet Library
Section titled “Sheet Library”Manage floor plan drawings:
- Upload PDF or DXF files
- Calibrate scale for accurate measurements
- Organize sheets by floor or building area
Impact on Calculations
Section titled “Impact on Calculations”Changes to the Basis of Design automatically update calculations throughout your project:
- Weather changes affect heating and cooling loads
- Envelope properties affect transmission losses and solar gains
- Space type changes affect internal gains and ventilation requirements
- System type changes affect airflow and equipment sizing
Best Practices
Section titled “Best Practices”- Configure weather first - This ensures accurate design conditions
- Define envelope types - Set up wall, window, and roof types before modeling
- Create space types - Define typical spaces for your building type
- Set up system types - Configure HVAC systems before assigning to spaces
Reusing Configurations
Section titled “Reusing Configurations”Two mechanisms help you avoid re-entering common configurations:
- ASHRAE libraries - Wall, window, and roof types can be populated from built-in ASHRAE construction libraries
- Templates - When creating a project, enable Include Space Type Templates to start from space types used in projects you have access to