A Simulation-based Optimisation Tool for the Minimisation of Building Carbon Emissions and Water Usage

Lead Research Organisation: Loughborough University
Department Name: Civil and Building Engineering

Abstract

Contemporary building simulation tools enable building designers to evaluate the performance of user-defined design solutions (for a given building form, choice of construction materials, HVAC system type and control strategy, etc). However, for even the experienced designer, the exploration of alternative design solutions in the multi-parameter building design space is highly demanding, and can result in design solutions that do not truly minimise the buildings carbon emissions, capital costs, or water usage. This project aims to provide designers with automatically generated design solutions that minimise the carbon emissions, capital costs, and water usage of a building. It also aims to provide designers with information on the sensitivity of these design goals to changes in the design parameters. This information will give designers confidence that their decisions do not lead to unforeseen and negative consequences associated with the energy performance of buildings, and in particular, low carbon buildings. The design solutions will be generated through an innovative design process and associated software tool that is based on the integration of an established building performance simulation and an evolutionary optimisation method, previous research having demonstrated that such an approach can produce designs that have up to 32% lower energy use than those resulting from contemporary design practice. The new design workflow process and software tool will provide designers with alternative design solutions on which to base their design decisions, this ultimately leading to a new way of working across the building industry. The innovative approach will be applicable at every design stage, with the most significant gains in building performance being through its application to the concept design stage (during which there is the greatest potential to explore alternative design solutions).
 
Description The project investigated the optimization process and form of optimization algorithm that is most suitable for use in building design optimization. The principle design goals, constraints, and variables where identified through a series of workshops held between building design practitioners, cost consultants, and a building design software vendor. Particular focus was given to developing an optimization approach that identified the optimum trade-off between conflicting design goals, such as building carbon emissions and capital cost, the trade-off information leading to informed and robust decision making. A form of Multi-objective Evolutionary Algorithm (MOEA) was identified as being effective in finding the optimum trade-off between the design goals, the effectiveness of the particular algorithm in solving building optimization problems being validated by comparing its performance to that of a number of established MOEA. The optimization problems studied in this research can be classified as being constrained parametric optimization problems having mixed, continuous, discrete, and categorical problem variables; problems having in the order of 50 variables, 2 or 3 conflicting objectives, and 16 non-linear constraints have been studied in this research.

The optimization procedure and algorithm identified through this research has been implemented in a beta-test version of a commercial software tool with wide commercial release planned for the future. The tool is most applicable to design stages associated with optimizing the type of fabric construction, the glazed area, and the choice of air-conditioning system and its control strategy.
Exploitation Route In this research, the optimization methodology and algorithm has most application to the building design phases associated with optimizing the type of fabric construction, the glazed area, and the choice of air-conditioning system and its control strategy. Although the application of the approach to optimization of building geometric form has not been investigated, the underlying optimization algorithm may also be suitable for use in this design task. It should be noted that the approach is equally applicable to the optimization during refurbishment as well as in new design. As such, the research will be of use to the building construction industry at all stages of building design and refurbishment.

The optimisation methodology and solution procedure identified in this research has been embedded in a beta-test version of the IES-VE building design software by IES Ltd, and has also launched a consultancy service.

The research provides a starting point for further research in the use of computational intelligence and statistical method in the robust and optimized design of buildings. In particular, the next stage of research should consider the uncertainty in the performance modelling and its use in developing a robust design methodology; modelling uncertainty manifests itself as a performance gap between designed and operating performance, this being a subject of much concern within the building construction industry.

The building optimization problem is of interest to the computer science community, this community tending to seek difficult real-world problems to test their algorithm against.
Sectors Construction,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Energy
 
Description The collaborative research raised awareness of the usefulness of optimization methods in designing energy-efficient, cost-effective buildings. As a result, the software vendor collaborating on the project launched a consultancy service for design optimization.
First Year Of Impact 2012
Sector Construction
Impact Types Economic
 
Description Building Design Optimization (Joint TSB funding) 
Organisation AECOM Technology Corporation
Country United States 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution The collaboration was driven by Loughborough University with the aim of transferring and increasing knowledge on the application of optimization methods to the cost-effective, energy-efficient design of buildings. The contribution made by Loughborough University was to: (1) develop the project concepts and research methodology; (2) transfer knowledge on fundamental concepts of building optimization to the construction industry; (3) to further develop and test robust optimization methods that are suitable for use in a commercial application.
Collaborator Contribution The commercial project partner brought knowledge on: (1) building design practice (AECOM, Mott Macdonald, and Archial Group); (2) real-world cost estimating (Davis Langdon); (3) building performance and design software (IES Ltd); and (4), the industries perspective on the importance of design optimization in reducing building energy use (the CIBSE). Through a series of workshops the consortium were able to inform the focus and formulation of the optimization tasks thats are most relevant to the industry, the tasks being driven by the need to resolve specific design questions.
Impact The collaboration resulted in prototype software and a consultancy service offered by IES Ltd
Start Year 2010
 
Description Building Design Optimization (Joint TSB funding) 
Organisation Archial NORR
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution The collaboration was driven by Loughborough University with the aim of transferring and increasing knowledge on the application of optimization methods to the cost-effective, energy-efficient design of buildings. The contribution made by Loughborough University was to: (1) develop the project concepts and research methodology; (2) transfer knowledge on fundamental concepts of building optimization to the construction industry; (3) to further develop and test robust optimization methods that are suitable for use in a commercial application.
Collaborator Contribution The commercial project partner brought knowledge on: (1) building design practice (AECOM, Mott Macdonald, and Archial Group); (2) real-world cost estimating (Davis Langdon); (3) building performance and design software (IES Ltd); and (4), the industries perspective on the importance of design optimization in reducing building energy use (the CIBSE). Through a series of workshops the consortium were able to inform the focus and formulation of the optimization tasks thats are most relevant to the industry, the tasks being driven by the need to resolve specific design questions.
Impact The collaboration resulted in prototype software and a consultancy service offered by IES Ltd
Start Year 2010
 
Description Building Design Optimization (Joint TSB funding) 
Organisation Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE)
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution The collaboration was driven by Loughborough University with the aim of transferring and increasing knowledge on the application of optimization methods to the cost-effective, energy-efficient design of buildings. The contribution made by Loughborough University was to: (1) develop the project concepts and research methodology; (2) transfer knowledge on fundamental concepts of building optimization to the construction industry; (3) to further develop and test robust optimization methods that are suitable for use in a commercial application.
Collaborator Contribution The commercial project partner brought knowledge on: (1) building design practice (AECOM, Mott Macdonald, and Archial Group); (2) real-world cost estimating (Davis Langdon); (3) building performance and design software (IES Ltd); and (4), the industries perspective on the importance of design optimization in reducing building energy use (the CIBSE). Through a series of workshops the consortium were able to inform the focus and formulation of the optimization tasks thats are most relevant to the industry, the tasks being driven by the need to resolve specific design questions.
Impact The collaboration resulted in prototype software and a consultancy service offered by IES Ltd
Start Year 2010
 
Description Building Design Optimization (Joint TSB funding) 
Organisation Davis Langdon
Department London office
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution The collaboration was driven by Loughborough University with the aim of transferring and increasing knowledge on the application of optimization methods to the cost-effective, energy-efficient design of buildings. The contribution made by Loughborough University was to: (1) develop the project concepts and research methodology; (2) transfer knowledge on fundamental concepts of building optimization to the construction industry; (3) to further develop and test robust optimization methods that are suitable for use in a commercial application.
Collaborator Contribution The commercial project partner brought knowledge on: (1) building design practice (AECOM, Mott Macdonald, and Archial Group); (2) real-world cost estimating (Davis Langdon); (3) building performance and design software (IES Ltd); and (4), the industries perspective on the importance of design optimization in reducing building energy use (the CIBSE). Through a series of workshops the consortium were able to inform the focus and formulation of the optimization tasks thats are most relevant to the industry, the tasks being driven by the need to resolve specific design questions.
Impact The collaboration resulted in prototype software and a consultancy service offered by IES Ltd
Start Year 2010
 
Description Building Design Optimization (Joint TSB funding) 
Organisation Isolated Addison's disease patient cohort from North East of England
Country United Kingdom 
PI Contribution The collaboration was driven by Loughborough University with the aim of transferring and increasing knowledge on the application of optimization methods to the cost-effective, energy-efficient design of buildings. The contribution made by Loughborough University was to: (1) develop the project concepts and research methodology; (2) transfer knowledge on fundamental concepts of building optimization to the construction industry; (3) to further develop and test robust optimization methods that are suitable for use in a commercial application.
Collaborator Contribution The commercial project partner brought knowledge on: (1) building design practice (AECOM, Mott Macdonald, and Archial Group); (2) real-world cost estimating (Davis Langdon); (3) building performance and design software (IES Ltd); and (4), the industries perspective on the importance of design optimization in reducing building energy use (the CIBSE). Through a series of workshops the consortium were able to inform the focus and formulation of the optimization tasks thats are most relevant to the industry, the tasks being driven by the need to resolve specific design questions.
Impact The collaboration resulted in prototype software and a consultancy service offered by IES Ltd
Start Year 2010
 
Description Building Design Optimization (Joint TSB funding) 
Organisation Mott Macdonald UK Ltd
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution The collaboration was driven by Loughborough University with the aim of transferring and increasing knowledge on the application of optimization methods to the cost-effective, energy-efficient design of buildings. The contribution made by Loughborough University was to: (1) develop the project concepts and research methodology; (2) transfer knowledge on fundamental concepts of building optimization to the construction industry; (3) to further develop and test robust optimization methods that are suitable for use in a commercial application.
Collaborator Contribution The commercial project partner brought knowledge on: (1) building design practice (AECOM, Mott Macdonald, and Archial Group); (2) real-world cost estimating (Davis Langdon); (3) building performance and design software (IES Ltd); and (4), the industries perspective on the importance of design optimization in reducing building energy use (the CIBSE). Through a series of workshops the consortium were able to inform the focus and formulation of the optimization tasks thats are most relevant to the industry, the tasks being driven by the need to resolve specific design questions.
Impact The collaboration resulted in prototype software and a consultancy service offered by IES Ltd
Start Year 2010
 
Title An evolutionary algorithm for computationally effective and repeatable multi-objective constrained optimization of building performance. 
Description A computationally effective and repeatable optimization method, suitable for use in commercial building design, commercial design practice requiring robust (repeatable) design solutions that are identified in the shortest possible time. 
IP Reference  
Protection Copyrighted (e.g. software)
Year Protection Granted 2012
Licensed Commercial In Confidence
Impact None other than the application of the method by industry.
 
Description Keynote at COLEB 2014 workshop, ETH, Zurich 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Participants in your research and patient groups
Results and Impact The keynote presentation focused on building design optimization; however, the presentation was p[art of a two-day workshop which included approaches to the optimal control of building, and in particular, energy dispatch to multiple buildings. The methodologies used in single-building design and energy control and dispatch are different, these differences resulting in much discussion.

None at present.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2014
URL http://www.carmeliet.arch.ethz.ch/Events/COLEB2014
 
Description Visit and presentation to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Participants in your research and patient groups
Results and Impact The presentation presented new ideas for building design optimization, together with some earlier results. The results from earlier studies raised several questions, as they illustrated the point, that optimization methods can result in solutions that are atypical to common practice and experience; the question then arises, are the atypical results due to an error in the modelling or procedure, or do they really represent new ideas - this being the topic of some debate.

The week-long visit to LBNL (Berkeley, USA), had the aim of developing collaboration with the laboratory and academics at UC Berkeley. Subsequent to the visit, a plan for new software framework was developed by Loughborough and passed to LBNL for consideration as part of future US funding calls; while the intention remains to implement the framework, no US funding is currently available to the laboratory for this work, and so the collaboration remains informal.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2013