Building Performance Simulation

A prototype tool to assist architects during the early design stage of floor plans has been developed, consisting of an Evolutionary Program for the Space Allocation Problem (EPSAP), which generates sets of floor plan alternatives according to the architect's preferences; and a Floor Plan Performance Optimization Program (FPOP), which optimizes the selected solutions according to thermal performance criteria. The design

We used Building Performance Simulation (BPS) with EnergyPlus / DesignBuilder to do a systematic parametric analysis of two relevant cases and study the effect of different climatic contributors to the indoor microclimate. The case analysed is based on Baumschlager-Eberle 22/26 , an office building in Lustenau, Austria [6], and a rather extreme example of design optimization for cold climate, where the conventional HVAC system has been replaced by a set of passive strategies combined with sensors and automated control of window opening and lighting system. The availability of detailed measurements on-site made it possible to calibrate the model to resemble reality more accurately. The same model was used for two different locations with slightly different type of cold climate, in order to see how it would respond to diverse conditions. For the original location at Lustenau, the weather file was obtained by interpolation from Meteonorm [7], while the one for Oslo was taken from the EnergyPlus site [8], corresponding to the weather station at Fornebu. The simulations were carried out in different steps of complexity for the internal loads, in order to quantify changes in indoor microclimate for each one of them. In this way, it was done first for the empty building, to obtain the effect of the envelope alone. Next was added the occupancy, then the equipment and finally the lighting system (with response to occupancy, minimum illuminance levels 400 lux). The indoor temperatures obtained from the simulations were then presented in two different ways. In relation to time (figures 3,6), to show seasonal and daily fluctuations, the amplitude of its variations and the proximity to the targeted comfort range of 22-26°C. In relation to humidity, on the Psychrometric chart, to reflect the total scattering of climatic values, thermal comfort zones for summer and winter with the percentage of hours of discomfort, and potential for extending these comfort zones using passive strategies (figures 4,7). Mean temperature of coldest month in Oslo,-3.8°C, 17.5°C for the hottest, cold humid continental climate with cool summer, Dfb in Köppen-Geiger scale [9]. ASHRAE climate zone 6A [10], 4428 HDD (18°C). With a higher latitude than Lustenau, the sun is lower on the horizon (figure 5). Solar gains through windows will warm up interior surfaces and increase indoor temperatures. Fewer hours of sun in winter and more in summer, which could accentuate overheating risk in warm seasons and not provide so much heat in cold ones, when most needed. Fig.6, thermal stability created by the envelope, though staying below comfort in a similar way as in Lustenau. Time lag. Overheating with all thermal gains, though less than in Lustenau. Fig.7, envelope buffering extreme values and internal gains increasing amplitude of climatic points. Average temperature of-0.6°C for the coldest and 19.6°C for the hottest month, climate classification Cfb, cold-temperate humid continental with warm summers, in Köppen-Geiger scale [9]. 2980 HDD (18°C) annually, ASHRAE climate zone 4A (borderline with 5A) [10]. Fig. 3, thermal stability created by the envelope thanks to a combination of high insulation levels and thermal mass, though temperatures are too low throughout the year. Time lag in thermal response to outdoor conditions. After addition of all internal loads, important overheating problem, reaching more than 50 °C. Fig.4, cumulative psychrometric charts clearly showing the effect of the envelope in grouping climatic points into fewer/tighter values, though all on heating side of comfort zone. Then more scattering, the more gains we include. At the same time, indoor climate becomes warmer, with important overheating after adding lighting gains. References Building Bioclimatic Design (BBCD) understands architecture as a filter between outdoor climate and indoor comfort, exploiting available climatic resources before adding any HVAC system. In cold climates, it would suggest compact shapes and extremely airtight and insulating envelopes, to minimize heat losses while maximizing solar heat gains. However, with high internal gains, these measures might cause overheating problems in warm seasons. The aim of this study is to explore how theories and tools for BBCD could be applied to cold climate office buildings to improve their energy efficiency and comfort. We used Building Performance Simulation analysis of relevant cases with EnergyPlus (with DesignBuilder) to help drawing suggestions on how to adapt the Building Bioclimatic Chart (BBCC) for its application to cold climate office buildings in practice. This tool is used in pre-design phase to determine passive strategies for climate adaptation and control, informing the design as early as possible. This study can contribute to the development of zero emission neighbourhoods in cold climates, by improving the energy efficiency of their buildings. Additionally, it complements existing research in BBCD by extending its application to cold climates and office buildings. Abstract Comparing the psychrometric charts for outdoor and indoor climate (figures 2/4 and 5/7), it becomes clear the relevance of considering the effect of envelope and internal gains, for office buildings in cold climates. After including the envelope, indoor climatic points show a much lower variability and amplitude of temperatures (combined effect of insulation and thermal mass). Once all internal gains are included, climatic values appear to be very spread again, with high amplitude in temperature and humidity, and severe overheating. On temporal temperature distribution (figures 3 and 6), it is easy to appreciate the effect of the envelope in restricting thermal variability in indoor climate. Also time lag in seasonal variations, with delay in warmer period, allowing non-coincidence between peak in solar gains and in outdoor temperatures, to soften their effect indoors. Thanks to stabilizing effect of envelope, daily fluctuations in outdoor climate do not have much effect indoors, while changes in occupation become very relevant. Cumulative effect of internal gains during working days, as well as cooling effect of empty nights and weekends, even more for summer holidays. Operational schedule for internal gains appears as important as their thermal load. The most challenging aspect in Building Bioclimatic Design is the uncertainty generated due to occupancy (density, distribution), complexity of physical environment and climate (daily and seasonal variability, climate change). Even so, despite uncertainties and difficulties, it is important to acknowledge and utilise the potential within BBCD.

Data capture and analysis are transforming entire industries, enabling novel solutions developed from a numeric evaluation of real-world phenomena. This generally relies on gathering data on physical conditions and users to create accurate, predictive models and provide customized solutions. Increasingly, data-driven approaches are also becoming a part of architectural design, with the goal of creating user-centric and sustainable buildings. However, while simulation software can accurately model deterministic physical effects, it is still difficult to incorporate stochastic effects related to human factors. This paper analyses one aspect of occupant behavior-window operation-to give designers an intuition of the impact of occupant behavior and associated modelling approaches on building performance. To this end, behavioral patterns observed in a previous field study were incorporated into a dynamic energy simulation and compared to a deterministically modelled baseline. While the stochastic models appear to better capture the dynamic and probabilistic nature of occupants' actions, the present study highlights the extent to which the assumption with regard to occupant behavior can influence the simulation-assisted performance based design process. The paper also makes suggestions as to how to interpret such simulation results in a way that quantifies the intrinsic uncertainty in stochastic models. We argue that increased data capture and analysis of building inhabitants could lead to a better understanding of their behavior, thereby affecting the decision-making process in favor of a more sustainable and responsive architecture.

Many existing building performance analysis methods and tools do not effectively encourage and facilitate iterative, multi-criteria, and multi-agenda building design development. SEMPER, which was originally developed at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), is a building design and performance simulation environment that attempts to remedy these shortcomings. It is an active, multi-domain, space-based, object-oriented design support tool for integrated building performance computing.

At the beginning of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the advent of digitalization, innovative technologies and materials, and new construction techniques have begun transforming the way that infrastructure, real estate, and other built assets can be designed, constructed, and operated in order to create a more attractive, energy-efficient, comfortable, affordable, safe, and sustainable built environment. Developments in materials and cutting-edge technologies (such as artificial intelligence, robotics, nanotechnology, 3D printing, and biotechnology) have finally started to move the construction towards a new era. Massive changes are occurring as a result of the possibilities created by big data and the Internet of Things, along with the technological advances that are driving down the cost of sensors, data storage, and computer services. Construction 4.0: Advanced Technology, Tools and Materials for the Digital Transformation of the Construction Industry presents a thorough review of developments in materials, emerging trends, cutting-edge technologies, and strategies in the fields of smart building design, construction, and operation, providing the reader with a comprehensive guideline on how to exploit the new possibilities offered by the digital revolution. It will be an essential reference resource for academic researchers, material scientists, and civil engineers, undergraduate and graduate students, and other professionals working in the fields of smart eco-efficient construction and cutting-edge technologies applied to construction.

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Many of the popular building energy simulation programs around the world are reaching maturity Ð some use simulation methods (and even code) that originated in the 1960s. For more than two decades, the US government supported development of two hourly building energy simulation programs, BLAST and DOE-2. Designed in the days of mainframe computers, expanding their capabilities further has become dif®cult, time-consuming, and expensive. At the same time, the 30 years have seen signi®cant advances in analysis and computational methods and power Ð providing an opportunity for signi®cant improvement in these tools.

The European Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD Recast, Directive 2010/31/EU), introduced the “cost optimality” concept in order to take economic effects into account while analyzing the energy performances of the buildings. The cost optimal methodology framework involves several stages starting with the establishment of the reference buildings representing the building stock. This stage is important since all of the following analyzes are applied on these reference buildings with the aim of achieving generalized solutions.
A research project was conducted in order to define the procedure of reference building establishment and adapting the cost optimal methodology in Turkey. This paper displays the sample reference building definition procedure followed in this project.
Istanbul is selected as a pilot city for this study since this city contains various building types and user profiles. Twenty six reference buildings were defined in three categories: single family houses, apartment buildings and luxury high-rise residences. The reference buildings and their properties are also presented in this paper.
The research shows that there is available data about the physical properties of the building stock in Turkey. However, there is very little information about the thermo-physical properties, user profiles and HVAC systems which are needed to calculate energy performances of the buildings. The existing building stock needs to be deeply analyzed by the authorities considering the energy performance related measures and the reference buildings are required to be defined also for other regions of Turkey by following a similar procedure.

This study focuses on the design of a university building in Tel Aviv during the 1960's through a combination of building simulation and historical research. The combined methodology was used for tracing the way knowledge in building climatology was implemented by the building's architects during its design, and for assessing the effects of their proclaimed climatic intentions on the building's indoor conditions. The simulation helped to affirm that the main climatic features of the original design – especially the clever massing of the building and the design of its sun protections – had a positive effect on the building's indoor climate.

h i g h l i g h t s Alternative floor plans are automatically generated, assessed and optimized. Geometric variable sequential optimization is used. Thermal performance assessment is carried out with dynamic simulation. A case study for a family house, with one and two-level floor plans, is presented. Algorithm performance and case study results are analyzed.

Purpose – This paper aims to optimise building orientation in Tehran, as well as determining the
impact of its shape, relative compactness (RC) and glazing percentage on its optimised orientation.
Design/methodology/approach – A cubic module was used and a set of 8 of the same module with
16 different formations were analysed for their orientation (360°), the RC (four groups) and the amount
of glazing percentage (25, 50 and 75 per cent).
Findings – The results show that the optimised orientation of a building in Tehran strongly depends
on its passive solar heat gain elements, their orientation and their position in building; furthermore,
glazing percentage amount, amongst the studied factors, plays the most important role in determining
a building’s orientation.
Practical implications – The application of the findings of this study in Tehran city planning and
also technical details of buildings will lead to a great energy saving in construction sector. Furthermore,
the deployment of the proposed design guidelines in construction has explicitly been proven to save a
prodigious amount of energy.
Originality/value – The main research question is taken directly from authors’ initiative when
working as university professor and research associate. The case study buildings, their morphological
configurations and sustainable features have not been presented before in an academic journal.
Keywords: Solar energy, Correlation analysis, Simulation, Optimisation, Regression, Orientation,
Energy efficient architecture, Glazing percentage, Shape

Climate change and rising energy costs necessitate a shift in how buildings that efficiently provide comfort are envisioned. With initiatives now aiming at bringing energy simulation into the mainstream of environmental design, the applicability of state-ofthe- art simulations in formally non-constrained creative production needs to be re-evaluated. To this end, a teaching experiment that includes multidomain simulations as drivers into the early architectural design process has been conducted; Master of Architecture students create a community centre with low energy use and high daylight utilization, presented in case studies. Performance increases are achieved by making appropriate morphological choices only; form and energy are thus linked in a tectonic fashion. A novel designsimulation process model that acknowledges both creative and analytic thinking is derived and discussed in the context of on-going integration attempts.

One widely recognized opportunity to reduce global carbon emissions is to make urban neighborhoods more resource efficient. Significant effort has hence gone into developing computer-based design tools to ensure that individual buildings use less energy. While these tools are increasingly used in practice, they currently do not allow design teams to model groups of dozens or hundreds of buildings effectively, which is why a growing number of research teams are working on dedicated urban modeling tools. Many of these teams concentrate on isolated sustainable performance aspects such as operational building energy use or transportation; however, limited progress has been made on integrating multiple performance aspects into one tool and/or on penetrating urban design education and practice. In this paper a new Rhinoceros-based urban modeling design tool called umi is presented which allows users to carry out operational energy, daylighting and walkability evaluations of complete neighborhoods. The underlying simulation engines are EnergyPlus, Radiance/Daysim as well as a series of Grasshopper and Python scripts. Technical details of umi along with a case study of a mixed use development in Boston are documented.

This research focuses on a new workflow between the fields of Space Layout Planning (SLP) and Building Performance Simulation (BPS) for the early stages of building design with the aim of reducing the energy needs of a building and improving indoor environment quality. Parameters of environmental performance requirements, such as temperature, view, acoustics, and so forth, were selected from different international standards. The intention is to link these performance parameters to a graph that supports schematic design tasks during the creation of architectural floor plans. Programming tests were run to add the information to the graph. A prototype for the early stages of the design is presented in which designers can visualize performance information during the schematic design of floor plans for a building. The complete framework for a BIM (Building Information Modeling) application is described and a case study is presented to demonstrate the usability of the concept.

Pakistan is facing a severe energy crisis which results in power cuts across the country. This situation seriously disturbs everyday life, business, and economic activities. The household sector in Pakistan is the primary consumer of electricity. A reasonable sum of this electricity is used for heating and cooling residential buildings, which can be reduced by adopting passive design strategies. This PhD research aims to provide informed decision support to design and construct climate-responsive houses in the cold semi-arid climate of Quetta, considering the appropriate and locally adapted low-tech solutions to improve residential buildings' indoor thermal comfort. Firstly, a literature review was done to understand the existing housing, comfort, and energy situation in Pakistan. An inventory of the current housing stock was then created to identify housing characteristics, construction types, and materials. The most common housing type was analysed for indoor climate, including monitoring indoor temperature and humidity, comfort perception and energy usage behaviour. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the residents to get insights on their comfort perception, clothing, behavioural adaptations, lifestyle etc. Then a benchmark study was performed by selecting the most representative house. The representative house's virtual model was analysed using dynamic simulation and calibrated based on actual monitored data. Four comfort models were compared to identify the best fit-t-context model. A parametric analysis was done using passive design strategies to improve indoor thermal comfort. A sensitivity analysis of 21 design variables was performed to identify the most influential passive design strategies, which can be used in the climate of Quetta. A materialization survey was done to determine the locally available and manufactured materials. Based on this PhD research analysis and findings, a prescriptive guide was developed to provide informed decision support for architects to design comfortable and climate-responsive houses. The prescriptive guide was then tested and validated. A usability test was performed among the architects and architecture. The results show that the prescriptive guide provides enhanced decision support compared to the Building Code of Pakistan. In the end, recommendations are made for the regulators and further research.

This paper aims at finding possible approaches of integrating solar PV modeling within Building Information Model (BIM). There are various tools for solar PV modeling available in the market that are used by energy modelers separately from the BIM model to assess the PV generation potential of their projects. Certain input data required for solar PV modeling can be extracted, reducing the need for the energy modeler to repeat the often erroneous process. BIM and external inputs such as weather data and PV module database can aid in solar PV modeling, thus helping the owner making an informed decision of integrating PV within the building design.

Design of building's exterior walls has important influence on energy consumption, building cost and thermal comfort. It influences also heating and cooling devices size.
Disregarding Thermal Time Constant (TTC) leads to wrong decisions, wrong design, waste of money for building's construction and increased energy consumption.

Air-cooling systems using latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) are potential alternatives to air-conditioners for summer climate control in buildings. However, the performances of such systems are tightly linked to weather conditions and the configuration of the building to be cooled. The aim of this doctoral work is to develop a design support tool allowing optimally dimensioning an air-cooling system using phase change material at the preliminary design stage. A dynamic thermal model, simulating the behaviour an LHTES device exchanging with air, is developed and coupled with a building performance program. The LHTES and the co-simulation models are validated by comparison with experiments carried out on two prototypes of LHTES device and the experimental platform of zero energy building NAPEVOMO. Finally, a first design support tool using genetic algorithm is developed to define the optimal configuration of an air-cooling system for the summer comfort in NAPEVOMO house.

Climate change and rising energy costs necessitate a shift in how buildings that efficiently provide comfort are envisioned. With initiatives now aiming at bringing energy simulation into the mainstream of environmental design, the applicability of state-ofthe-art simulations in formally non-constrained creative production needs to be re-evaluated. To this end, a teaching experiment that includes multidomain simulations as drivers into the early architectural design process has been conducted; Master of Architecture students create a community centre with low energy use and high daylight utilization, presented in case studies. Performance increases are achieved by making appropriate morphological choices only; form and energy are thus linked in a tectonic fashion. A novel designsimulation process model that acknowledges both creative and analytic thinking is derived and discussed in the context of on-going integration attempts.

The building sector is an important stakeholder in the energy and environmental scenario of any country. It continues to grow across the world due to factors such as population growth, and economic and infrastructure development. Within the European Union, buildings account for 40% of the total energy requirements and 30% of carbon dioxide emissions. The building sector is keen to improve its sustainability standards and also to help achieve the 20-20-20 targets set by the European Union. The present work aims to design a nearly zero energy sports gymnasium building in Calolziocorte, Italy. Various sustainability techniques are applied in an integrated design project approach using ECOTECT software to undertake the energy modelling exercise. Firstly, the base-case is modelled with conventional building materials and the total energy demand is calculated. Duly considering the local climatic conditions, sustainable materials are chosen for walls, the floor, the roof, and windows and a 38% reduction is noted in the total energy demand of the building compared to the base-case. The impact of louvers as a passive design technique has also been examined on the total energy demand of the building. The monthly load/discomfort analysis is undertaken for various individual functions inside the building to identify the critical areas that consume more energy. The monthly load/discomfort analysis is performed with the proposed materials and the air infiltration rate is improved through the building envelope and 63% reduction is noted in the total energy demand of the building compared to the base-case. A solar access analysis is conducted to understand the on-site energy production and then the building net energy demand is calculated, which is reduced to 90% compared to the base-case.

Choosing the right control strategies is an important task for effective operation of variable air volume reheat (VAVR) system in commercial buildings. In this design, dampers' position inside air terminal units (ATUs) are modulated to adjust the amount of air supply volume based on thermal zones' cooling or heating demand. A minimum air flow fraction (MAFF) is set for damper settings of ATUs to avoid under-ventilation problem in thermal zones. This study investigated the impact of MAFF value on various performance aspects of multiple-zone VAVR design in different building applications and climate types. A five-storey commercial building for three applications of school, office and retail in four climate types of tropical monsoon, hot desert, Mediterranean and humid continental have been simulated in EnergyPlus building simulation software. The results of simulations have shown that lowering MAFF value in ATUs would reduce the required reheat coil energy to maintain precise air supply temperature at part load cooling scenarios. Nonetheless, this reduction could have some implications on thermal comfort and indoor air quality level of thermal zones in a multiple-zone arrangement. It was concluded that in general it is an energy efficient control strategy to keep MAFF value to as low as 0.1 for high ventilation rate spaces like classrooms in school buildings (except for hot desert climate). On the other hand, it is advisable to not reduce MAFF value below 0.3 for low ventilation rate spaces like office areas to avoid any air quality issues in thermal zones.

This paper optimizes the orientation and aspect ratio (H/W) of street canyons in the hot eastern desert of Egypt to increase daytime thermal comfort level while mitigating nocturnal urban heat island (UHI). The study first examines the thermal performance of a simple north-south/east-west oriented gridiron pattern given H/W proportions from 1 to 5 on the hottest summer day with predicted mean vote (PMV), and sky view factor (SVF) readings using ENVI-met v3.1. Second, it tests the thermal performance of extra seven orientations identifying the best combination of orientations and aspect ratios. The paper finds that north-south oriented streets have to be given a 1:3 proportion, not less, to maintain better pedestrian daytime thermal comfort and, not higher, to permit an acceptable amount of heat release during night time. For east-west oriented streets, because of the limited impact of increasing aspect ratio daytime, a 1:1 proportion is recommended to mitigate nocturnal UHI. The paper also finds that the diagonal urban form with 1:2 and 1:3 aspect ratios given to its NE and NW streets respectively is thermally the best along the day on average. Further, to help designers make climatically responsive geometrical decisions, the paper develops a thermal comfort wheel which collectively shows the thermal performance of different aspect ratios and orientations.

ı ı 2 Mimarl k Bölümü, Mimarl k Fakültesi, Gazi Üniversitesi, Ankara, Türkiye ı ı ÖZET: Gün geçtikçe artan çevresel kaygılar ile birlikte ön plana çıkan "sürdürülebilir mimarlık" anlayışını geliştirebilmek için geleceğin mimarları olan mimarlık öğrencilerine verilecek enerji etkin-ekolojik bina tasarımı eğitimi büyük önem taşımaktadır. Mimari tasarım eğitiminde, tasarım sürecinin ilk evrelerinde alınan kararlar, sonuç mimari ürününün performansını da büyük ölçüde etkilemektedir. Bu eğitimin verilmesi sürecinde karşılaşılan asıl problem, öğrencilerin, stüdyolarda içgüdüsel olarak aldıkları çevresel sürdürülebilirlik kararlarını ölçme, değerlendirme ve yorumlamada yetersiz kalmalarıdır.

Building Bioclimatic Design (BBCD) understands architecture as a filter between outdoor climate and indoor comfort. This way, it encourages the exploitation of freely available climatic resources, before adding any HVAC system. Therefore, BBCD represents a fundamental strategy for improving energy efficiency in buildings. The climate / comfort comparison in building design determines the passive strategies that are most suitable for a specific climatic context, as well as the level of architectural complexity. In cold climates, it would suggest the use of compact shapes and extremely airtight and insulating envelopes, in order to minimize heat losses while maximizing solar heat gains. However, when combined with high internal gains, these measures might cause overheating problems in the warm seasons. That is the case of office buildings, where cooling equipment is included as default even in cold climates, drastically increasing their energy consumption. It is therefore becoming a necessity to consider here the adoption of passive cooling strategies once identified with warmer climates. The aim of this research is to explore how the theories and tools for BBCD could be applied to cold climate office buildings. In order to study the effect of the different climatic contributors, we will use Building Performance Simulation to analyse relevant cases with EnergyPlus (in combination with DesignBuilder). This will in turn help drawing suggestions on how to adapt the Building Bioclimatic Chart (BBCC) for its application to cold climate office buildings in practice. It is well known that the earlier we apply the measures for energy efficiency, the greater their effect and with higher degree of integration. The BBCC is used in the pre-design phase to determine the most suitable passive strategies for climate adaptation and control, informing the design as early as possible along the process. This study can contribute to the development of zero emission neighbourhoods in cold climates, by improving the energy efficiency of their buildings. Additionally, it complements the existing research in BBCD by extending its application to cold climates and office buildings.

This article describes the development and implementation of the Functional Mock-up Unit (FMU) for cosimulation import interface in EnergyPlus. This new capability allows EnergyPlus to conduct co-simulation with various simulation programs that are packaged as FMUs. For example, one can model an innovative Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system and its controls in Modelica, export the HVAC system and the control algorithm as an FMU, and link it to a model of the building envelope in EnergyPlus for run-time data exchange.

Building simulation is most useful and most difficult in early design stages. Most useful since the optimisation potential is large and most difficult because input data are often not available at the level of resolution required for simulation software. The aim of this paper is to addresses this difficulty, by analysing the predominantly qualitative information in early stages of an architectural design process in search for indicators towards quantitative simulation input. The discussion in this paper is focused on cellular offices. Parameters related to occupancy, the use of office equipment, night ventilation, the use of lights and blinds are reviewed based on simulation input requirements, architectural considerations in early design stages and occupant behaviour considerations in operational stages. A worst and ideal case scenario is suggested as a generic approach to model occupant behaviour in early design stages when more detailed information is not available. Without actually predicting specific occupant behaviour, this approach highlights the magnitude of impact that occupants can have on comfort and building energy performance and it matches the level of resolution of available architectural information in early design stages. This can be sufficient for building designers to compare the magnitude of impact of occupants with other parameters in order to inform design decisions. Potential indicators in early design stages towards the ideal or worst case scenario are discussed.

Many assumptions must be made about thermal zoning and interzonal airflow for modelling the performance of buildings. This is particularly important for solar homes, which are subjected to high levels of periodic solar heat gains in certain zones. The way in which these passive solar heat gains are distributed to other zones of a building has a significant effect on predicted energy performance, thermal comfort and optimal design selection. This article presents a comprehensive sensitivity analysis that quantifies the effect of thermal zoning and interzonal airflow on building performance, optimal south-facing glazing area, and thermal comfort. The effect of controlled shades to control unwanted solar gains is also explored. Results show that passive solar buildings, in particular, can benefit from increased air circulation with a forced air system because it allows solar gains to be redistributed and thus reduces direct gain zone overheating and total energy consumption.

Many of the popular building energy simulation programs around the world are reaching maturitysome use simulation methods (and even code) that originated in the 1960s. For more than two decades, the U. S. government supported development of two hourly building energy simulation programs, BLAST and DOE-2. Designed in the days of mainframe computers, expanding their capabilities further has become difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. Because of these problems, a U.S. federal agency began developing a new building energy simulation tool, EnergyPlus, building on the capabilities and features of BLAST and DOE-2. This paper focuses on the structure, features, and capabilities of EnergyPlus.

This paper proposes a reduced order model to simulate heat and moisture behaviour of material based on proper general decomposition (PGD). This innovative method is an a priori model reduction method. It proposes an alternative way for computing solutions of the problem by considering a separated representation of the solution. PGD offers an interesting reduction of numerical cost. In this paper, the PGD solution is first compared with a finite element solution and the commercial validated model Delphin in an 1D case. The results show that the PGD resolution techniques enable the field of interest to be represented with accuracy, with a relative error rate of less than 0.1%. The study remains in the hygroscopic range of the material. As the numerical gain of the method becomes interesting when the space dimension increases, this resolution strategy was then used on a 2D multi-layered test case. The dynamics and amplitude of hygrothermal fields are perfectly represented by the PGD solution. Temperature and vapour pressure modelled with PGD can be used for post-processing and analysing the behaviour of an assembly.

In performance-based architectural design optimization, the design of building massings and façades is commonly separated, which weakens the effectiveness in performance improvement. In response, this study proposes a hybrid massing-façade integrated design generation and optimization workflow to integrate the two elements in an evolutionary design process. Compared with the existing approaches, the proposed workflow emphasizes the diversity of building design generation, with which various combinations of building massing forms and façade patterns can be systematically explored. Two case studies and a corresponding comparison study are presented to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed workflow. Results show that the optimization can produce designs coupling the potential of building massings and façades in performance improvement. In addition, the optimization can provide information that supports early-stage architectural design exploration. Such information also enables the architect to understand the performance implications associated with the synergy of building massing and façade design.

Occupant thermal comfort is a key performance metric for green buildings. Although numerous studies have used thermal comfort as a criterion to control mechanical systems and optimize their energy consumptions, few studies examined individual thermal comfort preferences and their implications. This study aims to investigate the individual thermal comfort preferences in an office space. An online dashboard is developed to collect subjective thermal comfort data from office workers. The data then is compared and correlated with the measured key environmental data, such as air temperature and relative humidity. The data analysis results suggested that different occupants have various preferences about thermal comfort yet each individual has fair consistent thermal preference over time. In future study, the dashboard could be linked to the real-time control system to provide individual thermal control for office workers.


Read More: http://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/9780784479681.012

The construction industry contributes significantly to energy consumption and carbon emissions. Moreover, people spend more time inside buildings, so their health is increasingly influenced by
indoor environmental conditions. When considered through these lenses, the concept of total building performance can span energy consumption, the associated CO2 emissions, and indoor environmental quality (IEQ). At the individual project level, building underperformance with respect to energy and IEQ is frequent, and the ex post performance gap is partially attributed to the construction project management and operations phase of the building lifecycle. This  underperformance motivates the research of this paper into the construction process outcomes in terms of energy performance and IEQ, and ways to reduce the performance gap. The paper develops a multi-methodology framework to analyse the effect of building development project
process on energy performance and IEQ from an operations management perspective. The framework couples system dynamics modelling of construction project management to building
performance modelling. The paper details the way they are coupled, the application steps and data requirements, so that they can be applied on a case by case basis. The aim is to combine operations management to building performance disciplines and deliver insights for industry
practitioners and policy makers.

To provide substantial improvements in indoor environment and energy consumption levels, there is a need to treat a building with its associated systems as a complete entity, not as the sum of a number of separate systems. Building performance simulation is ideal for this.

This paper describes the Buildings library, a free open-source library that is implemented in Modelica, an equation-based object-oriented modeling language. The library supports rapid prototyping, as well as design and operation of building energy and control systems. First, we describe the scope of the library, which covers HVAC systems, multi-zone heat transfer and multi-zone airflow and contaminant transport. Next, we describe differentiability requirements and address how we implemented them. We describe the class hierarchy that allows implementing component models by extending partial implementations of base models of heat and mass exchangers, and by instantiating basic models for conservation equations and flow resistances. We also describe associated tools for pre-and post-processing, regression tests, co-simulation and real-time data exchange with building automation systems. The paper closes with an example of a chilled water plant, with and without water-side economizer, in which we analyzed the system-level efficiency for different control setpoints.

Buildings are composites of different materials and forms of construction and each has its own specific performance characteristics. Despite the lasting qualities of buildings, they are all susceptible to natural and man-made mechanisms of deterioration, one of which is dampness. This study employed a holistic approach to dampness investigation involving a two stage protocol which sought to identify and document areas in the walls of a three bedroom residential facility severely affected by dampness. The results from the visual inspection showed that blistering of paint, flaking of mortar, cracks, mould growth and surface efflorescence were symptoms identified on the walls of the building. Also, the results from the moisture content measurements (non-destructive tests) showed that though the walls located in all the four orientations experienced dampness, it was very pronounced in the walls located in the western, eastern and southern directions. The results further showed that with...

"With the construction industry moving rapidly
towards Building Information Modelling (BIM), it is
essential that various analysis tools used in the
architecture, engineering and construction (AEC)
domain are interoperable with a non-proprietary open
BIM schema such as the Industry Foundation Classes
(IFCs). To the authors’ knowledge, stand-alone solar
PV simulation tools in the market are not BIM
compliant. The paper presents a multi-model concept
centered on the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC)
schema linked to a PV simulation model. A tool is
developed as a proof-of-concept and validated
against other simulation tools to encourage the
adoption of solar PV technology in construction
projects."

High performance glass and Trombe
walls in the façade was studied in this
research. The paper reports results of an
ongoing investigation on a new façade
system concept, designed as: “Façade
Modules for Eco-Eficient Refurbishment
of Buildings”, especially on energy ef! -
ciency of Trombe wall and glazing modules
arrangement. Computational simulation
was carried out by using the software
DesignBuilder. Two double glazing types
and Trombe walls were considered for
three different climates in Portugal and
four solar orientations. Results obtained
for heating energy needs were compared
to all façade con! gurations. The use of
Trombe wall and the double self-cleaning
glass in the façade point towards a
signi! cant decrease of heating energy
needs. The great majority of the façades
combinations presented energy needs
lower than the maximum allowed by the
Portuguese regulation (RCCTE).

This paper aims to analyse in existing building refurbishment the complex relation between natural ventilation systems (single sided and cross ventilation, thermal chimney, evaporative cooling tower and earth pipes) and thermal inertia (medium-light and heavy) in the Mediterrean climate represented by three locations, Rome, Naples and Messina. Results show that, assuming equal comfort, the energy reduction potential is 67.7 % with single-sided ventilation, 76.5 % with cross ventilation, 30.2 % with a thermal chimney, 20.1 % with a cooling tower and 95.5 % with earth pipes (where the consumption is due to the fan). In combination with the above-mentioned cooling strategies, the 30 cm-thick wall maintains its role of thermal flywheel, while the 18 cm-thick wall shows an excessive reactivity to climatic stresses, resulting in an average of 2.8 % greater energy consumption. The scenario in Rome reaches the highest average energy consumption reduction for all the analysed systems (88.0 %). Naples follows (83.1 %) because of poor performance of the cool tower system (-23.4 %), while the scenario in Messina is last (71.4 %) because of the low thermal range that limits the efficiency of all the systems without the pre-treatment of the outside air (-37.4 %).

This Study aims to decrease energy consumption resulted from thermal comfort demand in single façade residential buildings. Depending on changing two main parameters, namely, street canyon ratio (H/W) and skylight height, a validated computational fluid dynamic (CFD) steadystate K epsilon turbulence model has been performed for the main eight orientations (N,NE,E,SE,S,SW,W,NW). This process resulted in a tool which can be used as a decision framework for improving indoor thermal comfort taking into account the energy consumption. Cairo city has been used as a case study as it is considered one of the top densely populated cities in the world. So, adjacent buildings with one façade are widely spread. Hence, these buildings' inward rooms are lit and ventilated using open skylights. Street canyons with high ratios (H/W) are existed. Consequently, high amounts of energy consumption are spent in indoor thermal comfort and air quality.

The aim of the paper is to reveal the relationship between building performance simulation and building assessment systems as a performance indicator. The paper is part of an ongoing research project on developing a guideline for effective use of building performance simulation in design towards high performance buildings. The description of high performance buildings will be interpreted as sustainable (green) buildings and the assessment criteria of the level of performance will be evaluated by building assessment (rating) systems. The rating systems' expectations are nearly the same based on global benefits, but vary depends on the stage where they are going to be questioned during design process. Thus, the paper will describe both the design process stages and the stakeholders as decision takers who affect the future performance of the building. By analysing current rating systems as a performance indicator, the available information necessary for assessment during design process will reveal the possibilities (potential?) of using building performance simulation as a support tool for getting high performance buildings.