A hierarchical design optimization framework for building performance analysis

This article presents a mathematical model that provides explicit support for preserving the consistency between decisions made at various points during building performance analysis. Analytical Target Cascading, a multilevel engineering design optimization framework, is applied to the energy analysis process. Within this framework, the energy analysis problem is decomposed into hierarchical levels based on individual performance goals. Interactions among all levels in the hierarchy are accounted for by linking them mathematically. A top-down and bottom-up iterative process is applied to determine the optimal values of performance goals compatible with one another. Application to the energy analysis of a three zone example is presented and results are discussed.