Building Performance Simulation

Recently attended the International Building Performance Simulation Associations 2013 conference. Exciting to see all the simulation research from around the world impacting energy use and carbon emissions. I had some thoughts to share on what is happening with BPS and its impact on the future of the building industry the next decade and beyond.

Our future holds better standards, for instance European standards unite member states around a clear and ambitious goal for buildings to reduce carbon emissions by 20%, increase renewable energy production by 20%, and do so within 20 years. BPS is improving, becoming more accurate, user friendly, and being used to simulate a more diverse range. Picking up the last point in more details, BPS is being used more on urban environments. Our buildings are after all interrelated to each other in a dynamic relationship. Finally, human behavior is one of the least understood aspects in our buildings, but research into this is improving to gain clarity and improve operations and simulations.

Missing from the conversation... what is early design? Since Building Energy Modeling (BEM) software development and research here is mostly engineers, they appear to miss what exactly Architects do early in design. For instance, a new BEM tool Simergy was previewed and is touted as a tool for early design. However, unless I missed something, this is not quiet yet the case. In order to adequately complete a simulation much of the HVAC systems and equipment needs to be defined. Something that Architects early in design should be thinking about, but often do not. Because of this, tools architects could be using are still out of reach and do not fit into their design process. The other observation, is the relevance of this body of knowledge is not for those who do not speak research, simulation, or engineering. Until this becomes part of the discussion, IBPSA remains an elite association. However, they do have a trivial pursuit game 'eco6themes' bringing many of the key concepts into an accessible format.

Goodbye Chambery and the Savoie region of France. Looking forward to the next conference in 2015 held in Hyderabad, India.