Performer, consumer or expert? A critical review of building performance simulation training paradigms for building design decision-making

Abstract

In response to swift changes in the building industry, and the need to evaluate impacts of design decisions for energy-efficiency and legislation, universities are introducing training initiatives in building performance simulation (BPS) for building design decision-making. This work aims to identify and discuss prevalent paradigms used to teach BPS. Through a comprehensive and critical literature review, three paradigms are found: training the simulation ‘expert’ and training the architecture student to become either a ‘consumer’ or ‘performer’ of simulations. Examples from the literature are presented to illustrate each paradigm, followed by a discussion of where trainees of each paradigm would be situated in practical project environments. Recognizing these paradigms serves as a foundation to set up future teaching initiatives and research in this area. However, there is a need for members of both architecture and BPS communities to work together towards harmonizing distinguishing features of each paradigm, to fully exploit the potentials offered by them.