The dilemmas of decision making

In times of crisis (such as climate change, heat waves, and more recently viral pandemics), it becomes apparent that the decisions we have made in the design of our built environment are crucial and can significantly impact our quality of life. Decision making in building performance simulation can add significant support to the design process from conceptual to detailed design and beyond. In support of this process building simulation is a tool which can provide quantitative feedback on the likely performance of alternative design options [1]. Building performance evaluators have to respond to a plethora of different decisions throughout the design process from conceptual ones such as the geometry and layout of the building to more complex ones in terms of code compliance, system design, material selection and control algorithms.