Developing an Occupant-Centric Method to Optimize Office Window and Shading Design

From ASHRAE Journal Newsletter, January 26, 2021

Not considering occupants during building design optimization can lead to suboptimal design solutions.

In an article from Science and Technology for the Built Environment, researchers present a practical method for occupant-centric office building window and shading design optimization that can be adopted by design practitioners.

Tareq Abuimara, Ph.D., Student Member ASHRAE, a post-doctoral fellow at the Human-Building Interaction Lab and Data-Driven Building Operation and Maintenance at Carleton University, discusses the research.

1. Why is this research significant?

The paper introduces a practical and easy to implement occupant-centric building design optimization method that uses the same data and tools used by design practitioners. Between the increasing impact of occupant behavior on building performance and the profound importance of occupant well-being, it is critical for us to elevate the way occupants are considered and modeled during the design process.

2. Why is it important to explore this topic now?

Occupants have been recognized as a major source of uncertainty during building design and operation. Not considering occupants during building design optimization can lead to suboptimal design solutions.

3. Why was it important to propose a practical method for occupant-centric window and shading design optimization?

Over the last few decades, researchers have developed a number of methods for modeling occupants; however, these methods were not adopted by practitioners as they are complex and require a certain set of skills such as computer programming. Additionally, practitioners often have time and budget limitations that restrict them from adopting complex and time-consuming modeling methods. Therefore, introducing a practical method that uses available data and resources can encourage adoption of occupant-centric design optimization.

4. What lessons, facts, and/or guidance can an engineer working in the field take away from this research?

The study sheds light on the impact occupant assumptions have on the outcomes of design optimization. It also highlights the potential uses of existing data and resources to perform occupant-centric design optimization.

5. How can this research further the industry's knowledge on this topic?

The research serves as a few steps forward toward improving occupant representation/modeling through the design process. The study demonstrates the sensitivity of design solutions to occupant assumptions that are often overlooked.

6. Were there any surprises or unforeseen challenges for you when preparing this research?

The main challenge was to set up a simulation process that includes tens of thousands of simulations (about 55,000) that took place over about two weeks. Although this approach is not recommended for practitioners, it was required for the study to try a large number of occupant scenarios and design parameters to prove the applicability of study conclusions.