Delivering simulation to the design profession: the next stage?

Over the last fifteen years, there have been a number of UK initiatives which facilitated practitioner access to simulation programs (e.g. Clarke and Maver 1991; McElroy et al 1997). Following the success of these activities, the Scottish Energy Systems Group (SESG) was established in 1999 to assist with the further transfer of simulation into design practice. The SESG is a joint government, industry and academic venture. Its membership comprises a spectrum of building related organisations: architectural and engineering practices, local authorities, component manufacturers, utilities, renewable energy specialists, software vendors and research bodies. It exists to assist these organisations to gain experience with all aspects of energy and environmental modelling and to remove barriers to uptake imposed by their current work practices. The long term aim is to help companies to evolve in three important respects: improved design performance and robustness through an integrated approach; better productivity through reduced design development times; and improved competitiveness through the greater potential for inter-organisation collaboration. In September 2000, the SESG became the Scottish affiliate of IBPSA. This paper describes IBPSA Scotland's mode of operation and elaborates on three key activities: access to advanced computational support; support for the application of simulation and facilitation of future software research and development. Where appropriate, case study material, drawn from completed projects, is introduced to elaborate the benefits or otherwise of simulation as seen from the practitioner's viewpoint.