On the high resolution simulation of building/plant systems

Traditional modelling approaches have treated building and plant systems as existing in distinct domains, with quasi-steady state assumptions typically applied on the plant side. This paper discusses the benefits of treating the building/plant system as a single, integrated, high-resolution domain thereby adding plant-side thermal mass within the building and enabling the application of key physical process models that are already available for building models to plant components - such as explicit radiation exchange and fluid movement modelling. The approach taken is to establish a high-resolution building/plant model suitable for simulation by the ESP-r program in order to illustrate the performance appraisals then enabled. By applying simplifications that represent modelling approaches as generally practiced, the paper draws attention to the benefits of the unified, highresolution approach. The contention is that tool users need to demand better support for high-resolution building modelling, while tool developers need to agree mechnisms to provide this support. The paper concludes by briefly discussing the implications of high-resolution modelling for future extension of the building information model to support life cycle performance appraisal, and for the maintenance of compatibility with the design process given the increased computational burden.