In the matter of simulation and buildings: some critical reflections

Abstract

Is there firm evidence suggesting that the deployment of building performance simulation in the design process has actually a significant impact on buildings' subsequent long-term environmentally relevant performance? More importantly, do we have conclusive evidence for the frequently stated environmental mitigation potential of the building sector, given a number of essential global boundary conditions, including, for instance, population and urbanization growth? The pursuit of these questions could contribute to a more realistic appraisal of the environmentally relevant potential and limitations of both performance simulation deployment and sustainable building practices.

The interaction between humans and buildings for energy efficiency: A critical review

“…Although comfort conditions are targets and these target conditions may not always be achievable, overlooking topics such as lifestyles, vulnerabilities, and limitations with lack of their measures/metrics might be one the most important reasons for the energy performance gap in buildings (Figure 2). However, some critical questions about the relation between occupant behaviour and building energy performance have been asked by Mahdavi [32].…”

Une approche didactique des outils BIM au service de la durabilité : vers une conception écologique numériquement assistée

“…Cette évolution technologique a en quelque sorte écarté le besoin du professionnel expert ou interprète en faveur du consommateur [7]. Cependant, par manque de connaissances fondamentales, ce dernier est susceptible de générer des prédictions non fiables ou d'avancer de fausses hypothèses de simulation [12]. Il est ainsi nécessaire de former des experts ou des interprètes même si la profession demande de simples consommateurs.…”

The Role of Occupants in Buildings’ Energy Performance Gap: Myth or Reality?

“…Likewise, it is essential to ensure that the occupancy profiles adopted by compliance tools are appropriate for the building type. The fidelity and empirical grounding of the occupancy-related model assumptions have been argued to be more essential than the specific algorithmic features of the prediction tools [118,119]. As such, even relatively simple calculation methods could yield reasonable results, if they are based on reliable empirical data.…”