Build Simul (2008) 1: 46 52

DOI 10.1007/s12273-008-8107-y
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Building Simulation as Assistance in the Conceptual Design

Chunhai Xia, Yingxin Zhu ( ), Borong Lin
Department of Building Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

Received: 6 December 2007 / Revised: 27 January 2008 / Accepted: 29 January 2008

Tsinghua Press and Springer-Verlag 2008

Abstract In order to realize the design by simulation concept in the building design, the methodology
of applying the building simulation in the buildings conceptual design stage is the main theme
discussed in this paper. The conceptual design stage is divided into four sub-stages, and the framework
of the design is built by way of the simulation in the conceptual design stage. Moreover, the energy
saving potential assessment by the simulation in the preliminary conceptual design stage is also
discussed in detail, including the input/output information, the calculation method and procedure, and
the requirements and information from architects, etc. The natural ventilation design is used as the
first trial in this study, and the difference between the detailed conceptual design and the preliminary
conceptual design is also discussed, and the new simulation methodology is further described. The
main objective of this paper is to help avoid an incorrect decision in the conceptual design stage, as
well as to provide a better base for the energy efficient design in the next stage by means of the
building simulation tool.
Keywords

building simulation, building performance, conceptual design, natural ventilation

List of symbols
A
Aout
Bf
Cp
DH
F
Fmin
F1
F2
G
G
GL
i
I
j
m
m1
n1
n2

relevant matrix of natural ventilation network

relevant matrix of natural ventilation network used
to describe air flowing from node to branch
basic loop matrix of the natural ventilation network
specific heat capacity of air (kJ/kg)
branches pressure head vector (Pa)
branches opening area (m2)
the allowable minimum value of the unknown air
paths average opening area (m2)
known main air paths opening area vector (m2)
unknown main air paths opening area vector (m2)
paths air flow volume vector (m3/s)
absolute value of paths air flow volume vector (m3/s)
independent paths air flow volume vector (m3/s)
branch i
unit matrix
room j
total number of air paths
number of unknown air paths
number of the occupied rooms
number of the auxiliary rooms

E-mail: zhuyx@tsinghua.edu.cn

s
T
T1
T2
Tbz
Tout
Z

havc

0
1

branches resistance coefficient (kg/m3)

air temperature vector of the nodes in the network
()
the occupied rooms air temperature vector ()
the auxiliary rooms air temperature vector ()
basic air temperature vector in the rooms ()
outdoor air temperature written as vector ()
branches vertical height vector (m)
coefficient matrix that reflects the influence of the
adjacent rooms air temperature on the current
temperature
coefficient matrix that reflects the influence of
heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system on
the current temperature
air density vector in the paths (kg/m3)
air density under reference temperature (26) (kg/m3)

Introduction

Since the energy crisis in 1970s, the building simulation

has been widely and quickly developed during previous
decades. Nowadays, more and more architects, engineers,

Build Simul (2008) 1: 46 52

and researchers freely use different kinds of building

simulation tools, such as EnergyPlus, DOE-2, DeST
(Tsinghua University DeST development group 2006),
ESP-r, TRANSYS, ECOTECT (Square One research Ltd
2005), and others. Although great development has been
achieved, the current research mainly focuses more on the
simulation method rather than on the design process. Most
software tools are developed for the preliminary design
stage and the detailed design stage, or they are used as
building performance assessment tools after the design or
construction is completed. In fact, the design process
generally includes the conceptual design stage, the
preliminary design stage and the detailed design stage. The
important parameters affecting the building performance
are mainly considered in the conceptual design stage,
including the shape, the orientation, the window-to-wall
ratio (WWR), the interior space layout, and so on. As a
result, the building simulation in the conceptual design stage
is crucial in order to improve the building performance,
the importance of which has been previously discussed by
several authors (de Wilde 2004; Hong et al. 2000;
Augenbroe 2001). As a result, in order to improve the
buildings performance in the design process, more research
should be paid to the conceptual design stage, as well as to
the framework of the design by simulation in this stage.
However, several difficulties exist in applying the current
building simulation tools.
) Some building simulation tools claim that they could
be applied in the conceptual design stage, but they
only provide a little support for architects until the end
of the conceptual design stage, when large changes of
the design can not be accepted. According to the
investigation on the energy saving components applied
in 67 buildings by de Wilde (2004), although 57% of
the total 303 energy saving components are selected in
the conceptual design stage, the tools are not available
to support the design decision until the preliminary
design stage.
) In the conceptual design stage, on one hand the architects
and owners need to know the buildings rough thermal
performance, and some building information would
still be unavailable; on the other hand the current tools
are only able to carry out simulation with all of the
detailed input information. Thus, the current tools are
not available to fully support the conceptual design
stage.
) Most building simulation tools are originally developed
for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC)
engineers, so the input/output parameters and the
description method of the available information are
not consistent with an architects own method of
declaring parameters or description methods.

47

Therefore, the inapplicable nature of the current

simulation tools, used to assist in the conceptual design,
results in the necessary development of new tools and the
elimination of current obstacles.
The opinion of the design by simulation is adopted in
development of DeST (Designers Simulation Toolkits),
which proposes the theory that the simulation tool should
be developed based on the design process. DeSTs
simulation process is divided into several steps in order to
meet the requirements of different HVAC system design
stages, and the input/output parameters, as well as the
simulation algorithms, are different in different steps
(Tsinghua University DeST development group 2006).
DeST is a good simulation tool for the HVAC designers,
and the core theory of DeST can be introduced into the
conceptual design stage.
Since the simulation tool is to be developed based on a
design process, a new framework of applying simulation
tools into conceptual design stage is first proposed.
Meanwhile, several issues are discussed in the following
sections, including
) the subdivision of the conceptual design stage and their
characteristics,
) the architects requirements on the building simulation
tools in each sub-stage,
) the available information for the building simulation
in the different sub-stages, and
) the simulation procedure to assist in the conceptual
design.
Furthermore, the natural ventilation simulation is taken
as the first trial in order to explain how to apply the new
framework in the practical design process.
2
2.1

Framework of design by simulation

Subdivision of conceptual design stage

In the sub-task Design Process Analysis of IEA Annex

30 (Warren 2002), the buildings life cycle is divided into
six stages: the conceptual design, the preliminary design, the
detailed design, the commissioning phase, the management
of facilities, and renovations. The conceptual design is the
first step undertaken, and the large-scale elements of the
building are usually determined during this stage. When
an architect finishes the conceptual design, the main parts
of the building have been decided preliminarily. Usually
they are only modified slightly in the following stages.
Meanwhile, the final concept of the building is achieved
step by step. Therefore, the conceptual design stage also
needs to be divided into several sub-stages. Zhang and Li
(2001) suggested that the conceptual design stage can be
divided into four sub-stages: the sketch design, the layout

48

Build Simul (2008) 1: 46 52

design, the preliminary conceptual design, and the detailed

conceptual design. In detail, the design tasks and available

information for simulation are described, as shown in

Table1.

Table 1 Sub-stages of conceptual design

Sub-stage

Tasks

Known information for simulation

Sketch design

Analyze design specification and form the basic concept of the

building

None

Layout design

Deal with the relationship with surrounding environment, design

layout of building cluster, and design landscape

Building size, building cluster layout, as well as

waterscape and greening

Preliminary
conceptual design

Rough design of buildings shape, facade, interior space, structure,

functional area division, etc.

Building function, rough plan drawing, rough

elevation drawing

Detailed conceptual
design

Detailed deign of buildings plan, faade and shape; selecting

building material for structure and main facades

Detailed plan drawing, detailed elevation drawing,

building structure materials and their physical
properties, room function

2.2

Procedure of design by simulation

Based on the theory of the design by simulation, the work

in the whole process is sorted into two parts: the architects
design work and the tools simulation work. As described
in Fig. 1, when an architect achieves a design scheme in
each sub-stage, the building simulation tool provides a
predicted result in order to assess the design. If the design
scheme meets both the architects requirements and the
owners requirements, the design process goes on to the
next sub-stage. Otherwise, the current design is modified.

Fig. 1 Framework of design by simulation in the conceptual

design stage

The initial concept of the building and the culture element

contained in the building are mainly discussed during the
sketch design stage. Building in this period is expressed
as a very simple shape, during which it doesnt even look
like a real building. For example, the Ronchamp Chapel,
designed by Corbusier looks like an ear, not a building, in
the sketch design stage. On the other hand, the architect
expects his/her thinking work, the initial concept of the
building, not to be broken as far as possible. Therefore, a
building simulation tool is unnecessary in this stage.
In the layout stage, the architect begins to consider the
rough building shape, the building height, as well as the
landscape environment surrounding the building. Reducing
the heat island effect, improving the natural ventilation
application potential, and ensuring enough duration of
sunshine are the main issues that are taken into account.
The single building design includes two stages: (1) the
preliminary conceptual design stage, where the architect
mainly considers the large-scale elements of the building,
such as the building shape, the facade type (WWR), the
division of interior space, the structure type, and the
building function, as well as the application of passive
energy saving technologies; and (2) the detailed conceptual
design stage, where building elements are discussed in
detail, including the determination of structure materials,
the main facades, the thermal parameters of walls and
windows, as well as some slight modifications of the
preliminary concept. Once the preliminary conceptual design
is finished, major changes of the design are not able to be
accepted. If energy-waste problems exist in the preliminary
conceptual design, the high-performance building
components possibly have to be used to counteract this
defect, which in turn increases the total cost of investment.
Current building simulation tools always require all details
of the building information, details which are only available
until the end of the conceptual design stage. Therefore,
new building simulation tools need to be developed with

Build Simul (2008) 1: 46 52

the following functions in the preliminary conceptual design

stage:
1. Predicting the possibility of the architectural scheme in
realizing the energy efficiency and its cost
2. Comparing the energy conservation potential of different
building design schemes, aiding the designer in making
this decision
3. Analyzing the influence of different parameters on the
building performance
4. Helping to clearly make the key points for later design
sub-stages, especially the detailed design of the material
For function 1, 2 and 4, the energy efficient possibility
assessment method in the preliminary stage needs to be
developed, which is discussed in detail in the natural
ventilation design. For function 3, the sensitivity analysis
of different parameters is applied, which is discussed by
many authors (Lomas and Eppel 1992; Maria and
Levermore 2001; Thornton et al. 1997).
Several important aspects need to be discussed in the
conceptual design in order to improve the building
performance, including the thermal performance, the
natural ventilation, and the use of daylight. In this paper,
the design procedure of natural ventilation by simulation
is taken as the trial procedure in order to illustrate how to
apply the design by simulation into the conceptual design.
3

Natural ventilation design by simulation

3.1

Design procedure

Because of its energy saving potential, most architects prefer

to include natural ventilation into their building concepts.
Natural ventilation possesses an important influence on
the internal space design. Meanwhile, the atrium, solar
chimney, ventilation shaft and other natural ventilation
components also possess significant influences on the
building design. As a result, the energy saving potential of
natural ventilation needs to be confirmed as early as
possible. Under the framework of design by simulation,
the natural ventilations conceptual design is divided into
three sub-stages (Fig. 2).
In the layout design stage, the building clusters layout
and shape are designed according to the wind pressure
coefficient on the facade. In the preliminary conceptual

49

Fig. 2 Conceptual design process of natural ventilation

design stage, different natural ventilation methods are

compared, and the reference opening areas of most air
paths are provided. In the detailed conceptual design stage,
the natural ventilations energy conservation potential is
predicted with all the air paths detailed information. The
main natural ventilation scheme is decided in the preliminary
conceptual design stage, which is more important than other
stages. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation
tools can predict the wind pressure coefficient distribution
on the facade, and current natural ventilation tools can
meet the simulation requirement in the detailed conceptual
design stage. However, because most air paths opening
areas are unknown, current simulation tools are unfeasible
in the preliminary conceptual design stage. This paper
mainly discusses the evaluation index and the simulation
method in the preliminary conceptual design stage.
3.2

Simulation method

The natural ventilation of a whole building depends

significantly on the opening area and the resistance
coefficient of the air paths, which are usually acquired step
by step. In the preliminary conceptual design stage, only
some main air paths are considered. Other paths are designed
in the detailed conceptual design stage or the preliminary
design stage. As seen in Table 2, the ventilation network
model and the building model are solved simultaneously
in order to obtain the indoor temperature and the air flow
volume of each path in the detailed conceptual design

Table 2 Comparison of available information for natural ventilation simulation

Preliminary conceptual stage

Detailed conceptual stage

Input

Allowable limit of occupied rooms indoor temperature, main air paths

opening areas, and all air paths resistance coefficient (rough value)

Air paths opening areas and resistance coefficient

Output

All rooms indoor temperature, all air paths air flow volume, and
subsidiary air paths opening areas

All rooms indoor temperature and all air paths air flow
volume

50

Build Simul (2008) 1: 46 52

stage, when all the information of air paths is obtained. If

the indoor air temperature is higher than the requirement,
the designer will be able to change the opening area until
the entire indoor temperature is lower than that of the
upper limit.
However, in the preliminary conceptual design stage,
the detailed designs of the rooms, facade, and the roof are
not done yet. Only the information regarding the main air
paths (such as the atrium and the solar chimney) is
obtainable for the natural ventilation simulation. Although
other air paths opening areas and resistance coefficients
can be assumed, and the same simulation method in the
detailed conceptual stage can be adopted, several problems
still can not be avoided:
The amount of assumed information proves to be too
large.
Different assumptions lead to different results.
From the standpoint of the design process, the main
work in the preliminary conceptual stage is focused
on deciding the main ventilation scheme. Too much
attention on the subsidiary air paths, which are to be
designed in a later stage, causes a deviation from the
principle of design by simulation.
Considering that the design work of following stage is
to be on the opening area and the types of the subsidiary
air paths, the allowable minimum value of the unknown
air paths average opening area (Fmin) is used as the index
to evaluate the different ventilation networks. Meanwhile,
the indoor temperature of the occupied spaces is not to
exceed the upper limit.
Because the number of unknown variables (including
the indoor air temperature, the air flow volume in the paths,
and most of the air paths opening areas) is larger than the
number of equations, the optimization method is introduced.
The optimization model is expressed as the following:
T
C p 0 A diag ( G ) hvac Aout
(T Tout ) + (0 I ) T = Tbz ;

B diag s1  si  sm diag G G

f
2
2
2

F
F
F

i
m
1

+ gZ DH = 0;

T
F = [ F1 F2 ] ;

G = Bf TGL ;

j = 1,, n1;
0 T1, j 29,
0 T ,
j
1,
, n2 ;
=

2, j

0 F1;

m1

F1,i

.
Fmin = min i =1
m
1

(1)

( )

(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)

(8)

The operational symbol diag converts a vector into a

diagonal matrix and each diagonal value of the matrix is in
correspondence with each value of the vector.

Equation (1) is the heat balance equation based on the

state space method. Equation (2) denotes the pressure loss
of each air flow loop in the network. Equation (8) is the
objective of the optimization model, and m1 is the number
of unknown air paths. T1 is the temperature of the occupied
room, which can not exceed 29 under the natural
ventilation. T2 is the temperature of the auxiliary room,
which doesnt need to be controlled. For the optimization
issue in the above equations, with the linear objective
equation and the nonlinear constraint equations, the
Sequential Quadratic Programming (SQP) algorithm is
applied (Zhang 2005).
With the solution of Fmin, two kinds of information are
able to be provided to the architects:
the comparison result of the different ventilation schemes;
the reference opening area of each unknown air path.
Because the objectives of the different natural ventilation
schemes are the same (which is to control the occupied
rooms air temperature to under 29), the smaller Fmin
denotes a lower cost and better ventilation scheme.
Meanwhile, the Fmin corresponds to a group of values of
the unknown air paths opening areas, which is the reference
for the future design of the air paths.
3.3

Case Study

For the buildings in Fig. 3, two atriums are designed in (a),

and one atrium is designed in (b). The two schemes have a
large difference in their room layout, and the simulation is
carried out in order to further aid architects in making the
decision as to whether two atriums are necessary.
In Fig. 3 (a), the temperature of rooms N5 to N10 are not
to exceed 29and the opening areas and the resistance
coefficients of B4, B5, B7, and B9 are known. In Fig. 3 (b),
only one atrium exists.
Applying the optimization method to solve this problem,
the optimal opening area of each air path, the indoor
temperature, and the indoor air change rate (ACR) are found,
as shown in Tables 3, 4, and 5. The air flow direction of each
path is displayed, as shown in Fig. 3. The temperature of
all the occupied rooms meets the design standard. In the
two-atrium scheme (a), the air flows out of building across
the paths on the atrium ceilings (B10 and B15). While in
the one-atrium scheme (b), the air flows out of the building
across the paths on the atriums ceiling as well as the paths
along the external windows of the second floor (B6 and
B13). Furthermore, the volume of air flowing across B10
in scheme (b) is 1167 m3/h, while the volume of air
flowing across B6 and B13 in scheme (b) is 5035 m3/h. In

Build Simul (2008) 1: 46 52

51

other words, the contribution of the solar chimney to the

natural ventilation of the third floor in scheme (b) is less
than that of the two atriums in scheme (a).
The Fmin of scheme (a) and scheme (b) are 2.3m2 and
3.1m2, respectively. Therefore, in order to maintain the

same indoor thermal environment, a smaller opening area

is needed in scheme (a). This shows how architects can
decide in the future to select the schemes based on the
smaller opening area.

Fig. 3 Schemes of natural ventilation

Table 3 Opening areas of air paths (unit: m2)
Scheme

B1

B2

B3

B4

B5

B6

B7

B8

(a)

0.1

1.6

1.6

40.0

40.0

3.3

40.0

4.4

(b)

3.7

3.7

2.8

40.0

5.8

1.4

Scheme

B9

B10

B11

B12

B13

B14

B15

Fmin

(a)

40.0

3.2

1.1

0.1

4.4

3.2

2.6

2.3

(b)

40.0

0.5

3.3

4.1

1.7

4.4

3.1

Table 4 Indoor temperature (unit:)

Scheme

N1

N2

N3

N4

N5

N6

N7

N8

N9

N10

(a)

30.5

32.1

24.7

27.6

25.7

29.0

29.0

24.4

29.0

22.5

(b)

25.8

31.7

27.8

29.0

25.0

21.3

29.0

29.0

N6

N7

N8

N9

N10

Table 5 ACR of room (unit: h1)

Scheme

N1

N2

N3

N4

N5

(a)

31.8

31.8

39.1

21.1

20.5

4.2

8.1

0.9

11.3

19.4

(b)

43.1

8.1

17.3

10.8

43.1

16.1

16.6

5.2

Conclusion

A successful application of the building simulation in the

conceptual design stage is crucial in order to improve the
building performance, and this contributes to the reduction
of energy consumption from the beginning. The conceptual
design stage is divided into four sub-stages for the procedure
of the design by simulation. Meanwhile, the simulation
stage is defined as consistent with the design stage, including

the microclimate simulation, the rough thermal simulation

and the detailed thermal simulation. Furthermore, the
framework of design by simulation is built, and several
important issues are presented, which need further research.
In order to simulate the natural ventilation in the
preliminary conceptual design stage, the difference in the
available information between the preliminary conceptual
design stage and the detailed conceptual design stage is
discussed, and an optimization model is developed. The

52

minimum value of the unknown air paths average opening

area is applied to evaluate the different ventilation networks.
The results also can aid the detailed design of the air paths
in future stages.
It is just a start for the research on applying building
simulation tools in the conceptual design stage, and some
research obstacles are discussed briefly. Undoubtedly, a
great deal of work remains to be done in further research.
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Lomas KJ, Eppel H (1992). Sensitivity analysis techniques for
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