early design stage

Despite the software developments intended to facilitate the use of energy simulation programs by architects in the early design stage, a very limited guidance is available, leading to a limited uptake. This paper investigates ways to better inform architects about energy simulation, firstly by enabling them to identify and translate the design inquiries into simulation tasks for deriving productive decision support and secondly by familiarizing them with the concepts and processes involved in energy simulation.

The thermal performance of a building depends on a number of building design parameters. Development of ‘energy efficient building concepts’ therefore requires insight in the here mentioned interrelation. In the recent past many advanced simulation tools