Simulation-based Decision-making in Early Design Stages

The use of digital tools for building design has increased in the past few years with the introduction of building information modeling (BIM). However, the advantage of integrating decision support information into the early design stages has been little exploited. Such integration has the potential to enhance design solutions by providing knowledge of interactions and dependencies through explicit descriptions of the design space (DS), including dependence of energy performance on design parameters. The design space exploration assistance method (DSEAM) proposed here allows designers to evaluate their design using project specific simulation results and the DS formed by the potential alternative solutions to ensure deeper understanding of the calculated results. The response surface methodology, a metamodeling method, provides rapid results. Moreover, the approach visualizes the impact of design changes. The proposed approach is integrated into a computer-aided design environment to guide designers through the DS to find a well-performing solution. An office design example illustrates the benefits of DSEAM for decision-making.