Since the release of Building Systems from Commercial Components [Wallnau 01] in July of 2001, the design and engineering team from the SEI COTS-Based Systems Initiative has developed the collection of techniques described in that book into a more prescriptive COTS-based systems design process. This evolution has been partially described in this column and other forums and will soon be offered ...

Agent based modeling (ABM) is a method of modeling complex systems that allows for detailed, endogenous actors interacting with one another and with their environment based on predefined agent rules and goals. ABMs allow modeling at a desired aggregation level that is most conducive to producing realistic market trends at the aggregation level desired. As ABMs obtain market trends based on indi...

A predictive and adaptive heating controller, using artificial neural networks to allow the adaptation of the control model to the real conditions (climate, building characteristics, user's behaviour) is described. The choice of a predictive control strategy, combined with the nonlinear modelling of the building, the user's behaviour and the weather prediction, allows the NEUROBAT controller to...

Traditional whole building energy modeling suffers from several factors, including the large number of inputs required to characterize the building, the specificity required to accurately model building materials and components, simplifying assumptions made by underlying simulation algorithms, and the gap between the as-designed and as-built building. Prior work has attempted to mitigate these ...

This paper will describe some of the findings of the current UK Teaching Company Directorate funded collaborative research between consultants, Building Performance Group and the University of the West of England. The objective of the research is to provide a practical database on the durability of components and materials used in the construction industry. The current second stage of the resea...

This report presents the study on the design and analysis of stainless steel profiled barriers subjected to blast loading generated from typical hydrocarbon explosions. The Technical Note 5 (TN5) issued by the Fire and Blast Information Group and a time domain finite element commercial software packages will be used for the above purposes. Particular attention is given to the plastic response o...

An appropriate estimate of a building airflow network, which consists of infiltration and interzonal airflow, is important when determining indoor air quality, energy use, and for detecting contaminants. The objective of this study was to estimate the airflow network of a commercial building using CO2 as a tracer. CO2 is naturally present in the environment and is generated inside buildings by ...

The forecasting of building electricity demand is certain to play a vital role in the future power grid. Given the deployment of intermittent renewable energy sources and the ever increasing consumption of electricity, the generation of accurate building-level electricity demand forecasts will be valuable to both grid operators and building energy management systems. The literature is rich with...

The increasing availability and affordability of wireless building and home automation networks has increased interest in residential and commercial building energy management. This interest has been coupled with an increased awareness of the environmental impact of energy generation and usage. Residential appliances and equipment account for 30% of all energy consumption in OECD countries and ...