SPACE LAYOUT IN OCCUPANT BEHAVIOR SIMULATION

Abstract

Occupant behavior is widely regarded as one of the most significant sources of uncertainty in the predic-tion of building energy use. Preexisting simulation methods address this issue by automatically reproduc-ing patterns of behavior found in historical occupant schedules. We extend these methods to incorporate spatial information. In our work, space layout influ-ences the selection of individuals who participate in an activity, and the location where the activity occurs. Participants and locations are randomly selected based on probabilities derived from cost functions. One of these cost functions encourages participation between occupants of nearby workstations. Another discour-ages overcrowding. We apply the method to an exist-ing office building to study how effectively an occu-pant model can be customized, and how accurately it can predict space utilization.