Consequence Based Design. An approach for integrating computational collaborative models (Integrated Dynamic Models) in the building design phase

Abstract

In the wake of uncompromising requirements on building performance and the current emphasis on building energy consumption and indoor environment, designing buildings has become an increasingly difficult task. However, building performance analyses, including those of building energy consumption and indoor environment, are generally conducted late in the design process. As a result, building performance evaluations are omitted in the early design where changes are least expensive. Consequence based design is a framework intended for the early design stage. It involves interdisciplinary expertise that secures validity and quality assurance with a simulationist while sustaining autonomous control of building design with the building designer. Consequence based design is defined by the specific use of integrated dynamic models. These models include the parametric capabilities of a visual programming tool, the building analyses features of a building performance simulation tool and the modelling and visualisation features of a design tool. The framework is established to enhance awareness of building performance in the early stages of building design, in the aim to create High-Performance Buildings. The project relies on various advancements in the area of integrated dynamic models. It also relies on the application and test of the approach in practice to evaluate the Consequence based design and the use of integrated dynamic models. As a result, the Consequence based design approach has been applied in five case studies. All case studies concern building design projects performed in collaboration with Grontmij and various Danish architectural studios. Different types of integrated dynamic models have been implemented and tested for the individual projects. The findings from each project were used to alter and define new ways to implement integrated dynamic models for the following project. In parallel, seven different developments of new methods, tools and algorithms have been performed to support the application of the approach. The developments concern: Decision diagrams – to clarify goals and the ability to visualize any relevant building performance. AHP – the use of Analytic Hierarchy Process to clarify differences between solutions on both qualitative and quantitative evaluations. Termite – the implementation of the BPS tool solver Be10 as a plugin for Grasshopper that enables live feedback of entire building energy consumption. HQSS – a quasi-steady-state BPS tool solver dedicated for fast thermal analyses in Grasshopper. Moth – an agent-based optimization algorithm implemented in Grasshopper that attempts to combine qualitative and quantitative evaluations during optimization. Sentient models – a method to listen to user behaviour in Grasshopper and decrease the space of solutions. Surrogate models – a test of machine learning methods to speed up any BPS feedback through surrogate models with Grasshopper. This thesis demonstrates how integrated dynamic models may include building performance feedbacks, specifically feedbacks regarding energy consumption and indoor environment in the aim to create High-Performance Buildings. It further demonstrates the inclusion of quality defined performances un-associated with High-Performance Buildings. The thesis discusses ways integrated dynamic models affect the design process and collaboration between building designers and simulationists. Within the limits of applying the approach of Consequence based design to five case studies, followed by documentation based on interviews, surveys and project related documentations derived from internal reports and similar sources, this thesis can conclude that integrated dynamic models for these particular case studies can improve the speed of multiple and parallel performance evaluations, reduce working hours for the simulationists and are likely to improve the goal of creating High-Performance Buildings.