Agile, continuous building energy modeling and simulation

Abstract

Digital twins have emerged as highly valuable tools for model-based planning, simulation and optimization over the last couple of years, thereby demonstrating considerable potential for application within the construction industry. The introduction of building information modeling (BIM) has effectively established a standardized approach to representing building models. However, in practice, many of these models currently exhibit limitations as to their quality, specifically concerning the level of detail they encompass. In addition, BIM models too often are locked inside a specific vendor’s tool which readily implies a lack of platform independence, or interoperability, which, however, is essential for facilitating single and regressive, i.e., after a design change, model-based building performance simulations. Model-based engineering has effectively addressed comparable challenges within the domain of software engineering over the past decades by facilitating the integration and interoperability of models from various origins, by capitalizing on model-based tool integration. Prompted by these advantages, this study introduces a model-based tool environment that addresses the aforesaid challenges concerning BIM model quality and interoperability. Taking advantage of our proposed model-based tool environment, we implement an agile, continuous planning process for regressive, model-based building performance simulations, thereby enhancing building energy efficiency planning.