Sustainable System Integration Methodology

The Sustainable Systems Integration Model™ (SSIM™) was developed by AECOM to generate multiple development alternatives, each one rated across a holistic range of sustainability indicators, to help clients determine the most cost-effective sustainability measures. SSIM methodology is being applied to projects of varying scale, i.e., from a single building to large communities.

In response to recent federal mandates calling for significant reductions of energy use in both existing and new buildings, AECOM's High-Performance Buildings Group has developed a standalone energy module of SSIM called SSIMe. The SSIMe tool allows its users to evaluate the benefit of various energy conservation measures (ECMs) that could be incorporated within a building to improve its energy efficiency. A range of ECMs can be evaluated by the SSIMe process, including HVAC systems, lighting systems, and renewable energy solutions. AECOM used SSIMe to validate the energy and cost performance of a potential Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) at Fort Irwin in California, U.S.A. An SSIMe Stage 1 analysis was utilized at NASA's Ames campus in Moffett Field, California, U.S.A., to provide energy and carbon information for the 30-year master plan, and to identify potential areas of expansion to the planned energy upgrade program.