Evaluating Vastu‑Integrated Residential Design through BIM, Parametric Modelling, and Building‑Performance Simulation in a Nepalese Context

Abstract

The combination of culturally based design knowledge and current civil engineering represents a significant but under-researched avenue in sustainable residential buildings design. This study presents a measureable framework to interpret Vastu Shastra principles of selected buildings using modern civil engineering, Building Information Modelling (BIM), parametric design, and performance simulation. The research imagines Vastu Shastra as a spatial-planning tradition and not a replacement for engineering codes but examines relevance on orientation, daylighting, natural ventilation, thermal comfort, energy efficiency, structural feasibility, occupant satisfaction etc. The paper takes the methodology of a questionnaire-based quantitative survey conducted in the residential construction context of Dang District, Nepal. Since the verification of field responses was not provided at the stage of drafting, the empirical section illustrates reliability testing, exploratory factor analysis, correlation, multiple regression and stakeholder-comparison procedures with a labelled hypothetical dataset of 220 simulated respondents. The outcome of the simulation reveals that perceived sustainable design performance is most strongly predicted by the adoption of computational design, sustainability orientation, institutional support, and socio-cultural acceptance. The paper presents an integrated Vastu-civil engineering-computational design workflow that translates age-old orientation and zoning ideas into testable indicators in BIM, daylight simulation, ventilation analysis and energy modelling environments. The study finds that design preferences based on Vastu can only be responsibly introduced in residential plans when validated for measurable building-performance and statutory engineering.