Model-based, performance-oriented building design employing distributed service systems

The operation of buildings accounts for up to 25% of the global CO2, emissions. Main contributors to these emissions are the systems of building infrastructure – systems that deliver energy and matter to maintain comfortable interior conditions in order to be able to inhabit and use the building. An emerging generation of technical infrastructure – distributed building service systems – provides a new conceptual paradigm for building supply. In analogy to distributed systems in information and communication technology, they consist of individual entities that cooperatively supply the building space. Their employment in buildings requires the consideration of parameters of climate, location, geometry, construction, and system components already from early design stages on. When integrated into the architectural process, distributed building service systems support the design and realization of buildings that are environmentally, economically and socially sustainable. The aim of this work is to facilitate such an integration in two steps, first, by assessing the demand of energy and matter of a specific building design and second, to design and layout the supply by selecting, defining and placing appropriate distributed systems and components. A system model for distributed building service systems is established, characterizing the relevant entities, their properties and dependencies. Methods of knowledge representation are used to capture the necessary types of knowledge. A two-fold, integrated design process is described, utilizing a knowledge base and computer-based methods for simulation and problem solving. During the design process, the concrete system model objects are instantiated and stored using a Building Information Model as a database. Qualitative and quantitative performance assessment is employed to evaluate design solutions. A prototypical design tool, the Design Performance Viewer (DPV) is described, representing a partial implementation of the described methods. Applying the design tool in a joint industry-university case study, the integrated design process is exemplified, establishing a seamless digital design process from early stage performance assessment to the digital fabrication of integrated building components. The work concludes with an outlook on technologies and techniques for the adaptive and efficient operation of the systems in a dynamic environment.