PhD RDC 17 Modélisation, par le bas, des bâtiments pour l’énergie et les matériaux

Bottom-up modeling of building stocks for energy and material usage

Problematic

Because of the huge amount of energy and resources that they consume, improving designs, operations and decision-making processes related to buildings can play a significant role to achieve a more sustainable world. Tools for energy simulation of individual buildings are routinely used in design, certification and refurbishing projects. Moreover, life-cycle analysis of construction materials is becoming more accessible. Recently, a growing attention has been devoted to the reducing energy consumption or material usage at the community level or with respect to building stocks themselves. Therefore, developing a validated tool to assess the energy demand and environmental impact of specific building stocks is essential.

Objectives of the Research

The overall objective of the project is to develop a methodology in order to simulate energy consumption and material usage at the building stock level. In the long time, the tools developed in this project could be employed to reduce energy consumption, materials usage and CO₂ emissions in specific building stocks.

Methodology

A bottom-up modeling approach will be used. A small number of typical buildings will be modeled with an energy simulation tool to determine the energy needs for heating, cooling, lighting, DHW, etc. Stochastic occupancy and energy consumption profiles will be generated and combined to develop a portrayal of the building stock or community. Optimization strategies will be developed to improve the performance of a stock considering energy consumption, costs and material usage.

Potential Applications and Industrial Benefits

Such a framework could be used to develop a better understanding of how energy and material choices affect a group of buildings globally. This could help to reduce the energy consumption and environmental footprint of buildings at a larger level than just the building itself. This project is of interest to building stock owners as well as to policy makers.

moslem.sharifishourabi.1@ulaval.ca