Energy simulation in building design

Design decision support related to building energy consumption and / or indoor climate, should be based on an integral approach of environment, building, heating, ventilating and airconditioning (HVAC) system and occupants. The tools to achieve this are now available in the form of computer simulation systems which treat the building and plant as an integrated, dynamic system. Although its potentials reach beyond the area of Computer Aided Building Design, the paper describes building and plant energy simulation simulation within the context of CABD, design decision support and design evaluation. Currently, computer simulation is only used indirectly as a design decision support mechanism; ie its power is not delivered very efficiently to the design profession. Future research directions are indicated, aimed at providing a mechanism to overcome this problem by developing an "intelligent front end" which bridges the gap between sophisticated computer simulation tools and the design profession