Building an urban energy performance framework: integrating spatial analysis and building simulation tools for campus planning

The tools that currently benchmark energy consumption beyond the building level are limited. This paper describes a framework utilizing simulation and spatial analysis tools to identify a credible set of campus energy performance indicators integrating both the building and site levels and taking into account the spatial arrangement surrounding each building. The research method propose a series of simulation experiments for a predefined group of building and site performance metrics classified under three categories: form, orientation and location. Building energy performance is calculated using building simulation tools. The remainder of the building and site level metrics is computed using environmental simulation and spatial analysis tools. The resulting indicators are normalized, weighted and aggregated to form an urban Campus Energy Performance Index (CEPI). The research will aid stakeholders to make decisions and can be used as a communication tool at different stages of site planning.