As cities strive to reduce carbon emissions, the pressure on buildings to minimize energy usage while maintaining occupant comfort continues to grow. Achieving this balance becomes particularly challenging in the development of zero-energy buildings, where energy efficiency and comfort must coexist seamlessly.
Current design tools predominantly utilize static simulations, limiting their ability to reflect dynamic changes in heat, airflow, and indoor comfort throughout the design process. This inherent limitation forces architects to make critical decisions without the benefit of real-time feedback, potentially compromising both energy efficiency and occupant satisfaction.
This challenge is particularly pronounced for Task-Ambience Air Conditioning (TAAC) systems, which regulate the climate around individual work areas independently from the larger room environment. While these systems are known for their energy-saving capabilities once implemented, designers have lacked effective means to evaluate their impact during the planning stages.
AI Model Brings Early Energy and Comfort Testing
In response to these challenges, researchers have introduced an AI-powered digital twin that enables architects and engineers to assess energy consumption and indoor comfort while buildings are still in the conceptual phase. By moving beyond traditional static simulations, this innovative system allows teams to evaluate various design and air-conditioning alternatives in real time, facilitating the identification of inefficiencies and comfort issues at an early stage.
The project, led by Professor Teng at Kanazawa University in collaboration with a scientist from Fushou University in China, has resulted in the creation of a rule-based symbolic AI model named VEEM-ZEB. This model is specifically designed for zero-energy buildings that employ TAAC systems. By estimating both energy consumption and thermal comfort at the design stage, the digital twin provides planners with a comprehensive view of expected building performance prior to construction.
Rather than viewing a building as a single climatic zone, VEEM-ZEB dissects air conditioning into two components: the localized air around individual workspaces and the broader room atmosphere. This dual approach allows for the simultaneous assessment of comfort and energy usage, utilizing standard PMV (Predicted Mean Vote) and PPD (Predicted Percentage Dissatisfied) comfort indicators. A built-in virtual reality (VR) interface further enhances the experience, presenting real-time results that help designers visualize how changes in layout or occupant behavior influence energy efficiency and comfort levels.
The model can evaluate around 48,000 different design and operational scenarios using standardized parameters. Through testing seasonal variations, occupancy changes, and typical office behaviors, researchers demonstrated that the digital twin reliably identifies configurations that enhance both efficiency and comfort, thus providing designers with a robust foundation for selecting optimal energy-saving solutions.
What distinguishes this advancement is its proactive approach to assessing TAAC systems. By allowing designers to test various cooling strategies during the design phase, rather than post-construction, VEEM-ZEB provides immediate insights into potential performance outcomes. This three-layer digital twin integrates clear, rule-based AI with an intuitive VR environment, enabling architects and engineers to directly compare air-conditioning methods and control strategies at the outset, based on factual data rather than approximations.
This innovative approach not only enables designers to visualize energy savings and comfort metrics concurrently but also facilitates informed decision-making that could significantly impact a building’s operational success. By juxtaposing these crucial factors, the model empowers design teams to understand the real-world implications of their choices.
The researchers anticipate that this tool will become an essential resource in everyday architectural practice, serving as a decision-support system for zero-energy buildings. By equipping designers with the capability to make informed choices from the very beginning of the design process, VEEM-ZEB holds the promise of advancing energy efficiency while ensuring optimal occupant comfort in the built environment.
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