English

A building simulation program has been developed and a model of a standard Swedish single family house has been built up. The model uses an explicit finite-difference method to calculate the temperatures of the next time step. The main output from the programme is energy consumption values and temperatures. The simulation program can either be run as a real time simulation tool (SPsim) or as a pure simulation tool (SPber). The paper is describing the general concept of the models used. It also gives examples of results obtained by using the program.

Addressing the complexity underlying design questions does not appear to be sufficient reason for simulation to be widely deployed in design practice. Useful insights must be delivered within the context of the time and resource constraints of the design process. This paper reports on recent work which addresses this issue through a computer-based project management environment.

This paper presents the process followed for defining the features of the next-generation HOT2000 simulator, and the conclusions drawn at the workshops, concerning the most appropriate modelling approaches. It also summarizes the survey of existing programs, and presents the rational for the selection of the starting point for the HOT2000 simulator

The physical space we experience and live in on a daily basis is controlled by the physical laws of nature, which are identified through science. For the most part, scientific data visualization has been used to present a clear and faithful representation of aspects of our physical world which are impossible to perceive. With the explosion of the Internet and recent programming technologies comes an emerging number of web sites that publish scientific, economic, physical and other types of data which describe our physical world and are updated in real-time.

This paper describes a simulation based method for the integrated performance appraisal of buildings incorporating daylight utilisation technologies. The method utilises the ESP-r [1] and RADIANCE [2] systems, running synchronously or in pre-simulation mode, to construct a multi-variate performance picture for a range of models representing alternative design intents.

The ISE (Intelligent Simulation Environment) concept, developed by CSTB since the early nineties, has been applied to the development of various Simulation Environments (such as IISiBat III for TRNSYS or IISiBat II for COMIS). This concept has also been used to develop a prototype which aims at helping researchers to document their models and to store them in a neutral way, within structured model libraries [1]. The Simulation Environments developed are very often seen by the users as “only” userfriendly interfaces, whereas they are more than that.

Models used for forecasting of future energy demand are often econometrically based and do not attempt to look in detail at end uses of energy. It has become clear in recent years that 'this approach to energy forecasting can produce more realistic estimates of future demand in the building sector if it is used in conjunction with models which-cover important physical and social parameters and the contraints which these impose (Grubb 1990; Grubb 1991). Such complementary models provide insights which would otherwise be missed.

The main aim of this study is to derive some simple rules for an optimal management of direct electric heating in residential buildings. Optimal management should minimise the running cost of heating while maintaining comfort, in the case of control strategies involving intermittent heating. This study has been carried out with the help of numerical simulation in a graphical environment [1] in order to study the behaviour of a whole system, referred to as a simulator, which consists of the building zone, the heating system and the controller. We chose an optimisation function of a mathemati

This paper presents a method for dynamic numerical analysis of the thermal environment in an atrium. In this study, the quantity of condensation on and the quantity of evaporation from the surface of water in a small pool (water surface area, 1m2) were experimentally measured, and changes in the vertical distributions of humidity and temperature in an atrium were numerically calculated by using the Successive Integration Method. The analysis was carried out using BASIC language software.

The legislation and energy awareness have lead to increased thermal insulation levels in buildings. Consequently, heat flow, between the indoor and outdoor environments, due to thermal bridging is forming an increasing fraction of building thermal load. Accurate thermal bridging assessment is becoming more important not only to predict the heat flow, but also to predict the level of condensation and mould growth in the heating season.