BRIGE: Integrated Social, Environmental, Economic, and Technical (SEET) Model for Sustainable Retrofit of Existing Buildings

这一扩大参与的工程研究启动赠款(Brige)提供资金，以开发和测试模拟框架，以加强和支持现有建筑可持续翻新的决策过程。该框架将使用基于代理的建模(ABM)来开发，以整合建筑利益相关者的要求和行为、预算约束、所需的节能和温室气体减排基准，以及可能的改造措施，以模拟它们之间的复杂相互作用。主要目标是确定最佳的翻新措施，以节省能源使用，同时为所有建筑利益攸关方提供一个更好的环境。为了实现这一目标，将从三个案例研究大楼收集数据。ABM将由单独的代理组成，在软件中实现为具有状态和行为规则的对象。如果成功，这项研究将对现有建筑可持续翻新决策领域的决策做出多项贡献；即(1)了解不同建筑利益相关者的需求如何影响可持续翻新决策；(2)确定有关环境影响、经济约束和技术可行性的信息对这些需求的影响程度；以及(3)开发和测试这些需求和影响的ABM模拟模型。在选择可持续翻新措施的同时，协调建筑利益攸关方对改善工作环境、利润最大化和节约能源的要求，是实现有针对性地减少建筑部门温室气体排放的关键。通过案例研究进行的模型验证将确保其对希望减少其现有建筑对环境影响的私人和公共实体的实用价值。

This Broadening Participation Research Initiation Grant in Engineering (BRIGE) provides funding to develop and test a simulation framework to enhance and support the decision making process for sustainable retrofit of existing buildings. This framework will be developed using agent based modeling (ABM) to integrate the building stakeholders' requirements and behaviors, the budget constraints, the required energy savings and green house gas emissions reduction benchmarks, and possible retrofit measures to simulate their complex interactions. The primary goal is to identify optimal retrofit measures that save energy use while delivering an enhanced environment for all building stakeholders. To achieve this objective, data will be collected from three case study buildings. The ABM will consist of individual agents, implemented in software as objects with states and rules of behavior. Running the model instantiates an agent population of the building stakeholders who interact with each other and their environment, and make decisions based on information they receive about the existing building condition, and the environmental/economic impacts of the feasible retrofit measures.If successful, this research will result in several contributions to the field of decision making to sustainably retrofit existing buildings; namely (1) understanding how the requirements of the different building stakeholders affect the sustainable retrofit decision; (2) determining to what extent information about environmental impact, economic constraints, and technical feasibility influences these requirements; and (3) developing and testing an ABM simulation model of these requirements and influences. Aligning the building stakeholders' requirements for enhanced work environment, profit maximization and energy savings, while choosing sustainable retrofit measures, is key to achieve targeted reduction in green house gas emissions from the building sector. The model validation through case studies will ensure its practical value to private and public entities looking to reduce the environmental impact of their existing buildings.