2.1 EDGE App Setup, Project Navigation & Inputs

2.1 EDGE App Setup, Project Navigation & Inputs

Quick Summary: The EDGE App (edgebuildings.com) is a free, web-based design and certification platform created by the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Upon entering a project's location, building typology, and operational parameters, the app dynamically loads localized climate data and regional construction baselines to generate a customized Base Case. Projects are evaluated against this baseline to establish energy, water, and material efficiency performance.

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1. EDGE App Software Architecture & Ecosystem

The EDGE App is a cloud-based building software application developed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. It provides a standardized, rapid, and quantifiable methodology for designing and certifying green buildings in over 170 countries.

Key Architectural Features

• Zero-Install Web Access: Operates directly within standard web browsers at edgebuildings.com without requiring local software installation, license keys, or high-performance hardware.
• Real-Time Computational Engine: Features an integrated building physics thermal engine and dynamic hydraulic modeling algorithms that recalculate overall energy, water, and materials performance instantaneously as inputs are modified.
• Dual Functionality: Acts simultaneously as an early-stage bioclimatic design optimization tool for project teams and as the official submittal platform for GBCI certification reviews.

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2. User Accounts, Dashboard & Project Stakeholder Roles

Access to the EDGE App requires a free user account. Within the platform, projects are managed on a centralized user dashboard. The software defines distinct access privileges based on team roles:

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3. Location Selection & Climate Data Integration

The first step in project creation is defining the geographic location by selecting the Country and City/Region. For every city built into the software, EDGE holds a fixed set of location-specific values that drive the base case.

Loaded Location Parameters

Per the EDGE Methodology Report, the following location-specific information exists within EDGE for all cities built into the software:

• Monthly average wet- and dry-bulb temperature: establishes the seasonal temperature profile that drives heating and cooling demand.
• Monthly average outdoor wind velocity: feeds natural-ventilation and infiltration assumptions.
• Monthly average outdoor humidity: governs latent cooling load and evaporative-cooling performance.
• Solar radiation intensity: determines solar heat gain through glazing and the yield of solar water heating and photovoltaic systems.
• Annual average rainfall: governs rainwater-harvesting yield in the Water tab.
• Carbon dioxide intensity of the electricity grid: converts saved kilowatt-hours into avoided emissions.
• Average cost of energy (by fuel type) and water: seeds the default tariffs behind the financial results.

Note the granularity: these are monthly averages and annual totals, not an hourly weather file. That is consistent with EDGE’s monthly quasi-steady-state calculation method (Section 1.2) and is why EDGE is explicitly not intended for system sizing or precise payback decisions.

Impact on Baseline Loads

Local climate data directly establishes the Heating Degree Days (HDD) and Cooling Degree Days (CDD) for the site. A project located in hot-humid Mumbai, India will generate a baseline dominated by space cooling and dehumidification loads, whereas a project in Bogota, Colombia will generate a baseline dominated by heating or passive thermal comfort boundaries.

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4. Building Typology Selection & Operational Benchmarks

Selecting the typology is what tells EDGE which occupancy densities, operating schedules, internal load profiles and end uses to assume. EDGE v3 organises typologies into three categories, and the category matters operationally because a Mixed Use subproject may only combine typologies drawn from the same category:

Projects that span different categories must be submitted as separate subprojects — a hotel block and a warehouse cannot be merged into one model. Industrial buildings such as warehouses and light industry cannot form part of a Mixed Use subproject at all. Section 10.1 covers the sub-typologies (star rating for hotels, hospital type, school versus university, and so on) that further refine the base case.

Dynamic Base Case Generation

Upon selecting the typology, EDGE creates the Base Case (the standard baseline building). The Base Case is not a static international benchmark; it is dynamically generated based on local standard construction practices, local building energy codes, typical regional equipment efficiencies, and regional baseline utility consumption patterns.

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5. Key Input Parameters & Data Entry Fields

To establish an accurate Base Case and Proposed Design baseline, the project team must input key geometric, operational, and financial data into the project setup tab:

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6. Modeling Multi-Building & Mixed-Use Subprojects

For complex projects—such as a mixed-use development comprising a 15-storey residential tower, a 3-storey retail podium, and a 10-storey commercial office tower—the EDGE App provides a Subproject Module.

Subproject Navigation Steps

1. Create Master Project: Register the main development name on the project dashboard.
2. Add Subprojects: Define individual subprojects for each distinct building typology (e.g., Subproject A: Residential, Subproject B: Retail, Subproject C: Office).
3. Input Typology-Specific Data: Enter specific GIA, storey counts, operating schedules, and occupant densities for each subproject.
4. Area-Weighted Aggregation: The EDGE App automatically computes individual subproject savings and aggregates them into a master project compliance score using an area-weighted average calculation:

$\text{Master Energy Savings (\%)} = \frac{\sum \left( \text{Subproject GIA}_i \times \text{Subproject Energy Savings \%}_i \right)}{\text{Total Master Project GIA}}$

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7. Practical Step-by-Step Project Setup Scenario

Project Scenario

An EDGE Expert is registering a new 12,000 m² commercial office tower with 10 storeys located in Nairobi, Kenya.

Step-by-Step Workflow

1. Account Login & Creation: Log into edgebuildings.com, select "Create New Project", and enter project name: Nairobi Eco-Tower.
2. Location Configuration: Select Country: Kenya, City: Nairobi. The system loads Nairobi's stored monthly climate and resource values (high-altitude, temperate equatorial climate with modest heating and cooling demand) together with default local energy and water tariffs and grid carbon intensity.
3. Typology Selection: Select Typology: Commercial Office.
4. Geometric Inputs: Enter Gross Internal Area = 12,000 m², Number of Storeys = 10, Storey Height = 3.5 meters.
5. Operational Hours & Occupancy: Enter Operational Hours = 10 hours/day, 5 days/week. Enter Occupant Density = 12 m² per person (1,000 total occupants).
6. Utility Tariff Setup: Enter local commercial electricity tariff = $0.18/kWh and municipal water tariff = $1.50/m³.
7. Baseline Verification: Review the generated Base Case baseline: EDGE displays standard baseline baseline specs (e.g., baseline window-to-wall ratio of 40%, baseline split AC COP of 3.0, baseline lighting power density of 11 W/m²).