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A. Mahdavi, F. Tahmasebi:
"On the quality evaluation of behavioural models for building performance applications";
Journal of Building Performance Simulation, 10 (2017), 5-6; 554 - 564.

Building performance assessment applications require multiple categories of input information. These include, aside from
building construction and systems and external conditions, representations of inhabitants. It has been suggested that the
representation of people as passive and static entities is unlikely to yield reliable building performance assessment and
building operation planning. Rather, adequate representations of building inhabitants should account for dynamics of inhabitants´
presence in buildings and their control-oriented actions (e.g. interactions with buildings indoor environmental control
devices and systems). To address these requirements, many recent model development efforts have explored the potential of
advanced mathematical formalisms. However, the resulting occupancy-related behavioural models have rarely gone through
a rigorous evaluation process. The present contribution is indeed motivated primarily by the lack of explicit procedures and
guidelines for the evaluation of proposed user-related behavioural models. Specifically, we formulate a number of conditions
that are necessary for systematic and dependable quality assessment of buildings´ inhabitants. Towards this end, we discuss
both general model evaluation requirements and specific circumstances pertaining to behavioural models of building inhabitants.
By using specific instances of such models, we intend to identify the requirements of a rigorous quality assurance
process with regard to behavioural models in building performance assessment applications.

(no german version) Building performance assessment applications require multiple categories of input information. These include, aside from
building construction and systems and external conditions, representations of inhabitants. It has been suggested that the
representation of people as passive and static entities is unlikely to yield reliable building performance assessment and
building operation planning. Rather, adequate representations of building inhabitants should account for dynamics of inhabitants´
presence in buildings and their control-oriented actions (e.g. interactions with buildings indoor environmental control
devices and systems). To address these requirements, many recent model development efforts have explored the potential of
advanced mathematical formalisms. However, the resulting occupancy-related behavioural models have rarely gone through
a rigorous evaluation process. The present contribution is indeed motivated primarily by the lack of explicit procedures and
guidelines for the evaluation of proposed user-related behavioural models. Specifically, we formulate a number of conditions
that are necessary for systematic and dependable quality assessment of buildings´ inhabitants. Towards this end, we discuss
both general model evaluation requirements and specific circumstances pertaining to behavioural models of building inhabitants.
By using specific instances of such models, we intend to identify the requirements of a rigorous quality assurance
process with regard to behavioural models in building performance assessment applications.

model evaluation; performance simulation; behavioural models; building inhabitants

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19401493.2016.1230148

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19401493.2016.1230148