DTS Façade Calcs

This 34-min course introduces the J4D6 Building Fabric assessment in Better Buildings, often referred to as the façade calculator in the Australian design industry. It covers the NCC 2022 Volume One requirements, focusing on the platform's automated approach to compliance.

Course Structure

This course introduces you to the NCC provisions for J4D6, highlighting its alignment with traditional façade calculator methodologies whilst showcasing Better Buildings' stricter adherence to AS/NZS 4859.2 and AS/NZS 4214 for wall system calculations. You'll understand the core principle of assessing opaque and vision areas to meet minimum performance requirements and learn how this assessment method provides a structured approach to façade compliance within the National Construction Code framework.

You'll explore the technical foundation of Total System U-values and Solar Admittance criteria, learning how the NCC defines 'wall glazing construction' and 'envelope of a building' whilst understanding variable U-value requirements across different building classes (2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9a, 9b, 9c) and climate zones, including specific provisions for display glazing. The course provides hands-on experience creating simple box models with different building classes like Class 3, 5, and 9b, adding default glazing to each, and then guiding you through the process of distributing specific building classes to respective zones using the platform's tagging system for efficient specification management.

A key highlight covers the strategic transition between compliance pathways, where you'll learn how activating the 'Simulate shading multipliers' toggle replaces NCC's generic PG&H-based shading multipliers with accurate, simulated values based on actual building geometry including overhangs, adjacent buildings, site shading, and self-shading effects. This sophisticated approach converts the assessment from a deemed-to-satisfy approach to a performance solution, providing greater design flexibility and accuracy. The course concludes with comprehensive guidance on running simulations for J4D6 (Method 1 and 2), interpreting summary results and detailed elemental breakdowns, ensuring geometry input accuracy, and downloading reports whilst understanding the critical distinction between deemed-to-satisfy reports and performance solution reports based on the shading multiplier toggle selection..

Key Learning Outcomes

Participants will gain comprehensive expertise in leveraging Better Buildings for NCC J4D6 (Façade Calculator) assessments, accurately specifying building fabric elements, understanding the implications of various compliance pathways, and generating robust performance reports.

Course Completion

A Certificate of Competency will be awarded upon achieving an 80% pass mark on the final quiz.

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