Operational scenarios simulation to support building design: A hospital design case study

Abstract

In hospitals the configuration of the environment deeply affects the efficiency of the host organization, supporting or preventing the activities of intended users and operators. Although some simulation models have recently been introduced in architectural design, their actual application is limited to simulate people’s movement in case of specific events (i.e. fire egress or crow dynamics in public stations). More effective models, able to simulate more complete building use scenarios are still missing. To overcome this lack, the research described in this paper aims at developing a model to virtually simulate use scenarios in hospital buildings, in order to provide use-related feedback to architects during the design process. The proposed model integrates two main components: 1) a formalization level, where the use scenario is represented through Business Process Modeling approach in terms of activities performed, actors involved and hosting spaces; 2) a simulation environment where the determined scenario is actually computed and executed. The resulting phenomena is visualized in a 3D virtual environment, allowing architects to observe how the building will respond to the scripted scenario in order to detect critical points and solve design errors and inconsistencies.