2014/10/03 by Eugénio Rodrigues, Adélio Rodrigues Gaspar, Rodrigues, Eugénio +5
Engineering · Environmental Science · Psychology · #BIM and Construction Integration #Building Energy and Comfort Optimization #Color perception and design #D.2.2 #FOS: Computer and information sciences #G.1.6 #Neural and Evolutionary Computing (cs.NE) #Software Engineering (cs.SE) #Wind and Air Flow Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1410.0948
openalex publication_date 2014/10/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
During the earliest phase of architectural design process, practitioners\nafter analyzing the client's design program, legal requirements, topographic\nconstraints, and preferences synthesize these requirements into architectural\nfloor plan drawings. Design decisions taken in this phase may significantly\ncontribute to the building performance. On account of this reason, it is\nimportant to estimate and compare alternative solutions, when it is still\nmanageable to change the building design.\n The authors have been developing a prototype tool to assist architects during\nthis initial design phase. It is made up of two algorithms. The first algorithm\ngenerates alternative floor plans according to the architect's preferences and\nrequirements, and the client's design program. It consists in one evolutionary\nstrategy approach enhanced with local search technique to allocate rooms on\nseveral levels in the two-dimensional space. The second algorithm evaluates,\nranks, and optimizes those floor plans according to thermal performance\ncriteria. The prototype tool is coupled with dynamic simulation program, which\nestimates the thermal behavior of each solution. A sequential variable\noptimization is used to change several geometric values of different\narchitectural elements in the floor plans to explore the improvement potential.\n In the present communication, the two algorithms are used in an iterative\nprocess to generate and optimize the thermal performance of alternative floor\nplans. In the building simulation specifications of EnergyPlus program, the\nairflow network model has been used in order to adequately model the air\ninfiltration and the airflows through indoor spaces. A case study of a\nsingle-family house with three rooms in a single level is presented.\n