Holistic synergy analysis for building subsystem performance and innovation opportunities

Abstract

The buildings sector plays a crucial role in the transition to a low-carbon society as the largest energy-consuming sector globally, accounting for over one-third of all final energy consumption, half of electricity use, and nearly one-third of total direct and indirect energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. The delivery of energy-efficient buildings requires an integrated design that considers climate, technology, operation and maintenance, and occupant behavior. Previous research to reconcile human-building interaction has focused on two or three system interactions with the occupant, improving the accuracy of building controls systems to match occupant demand or manage energy use, changing the user interface to alter human behavior, and understanding the effects of indoor environmental quality on human performance. This work presents a structured process to systematically study the complex interactions between multiple building subsystems and the occupant, as well as capture their multifaceted effects on humans and various building performance outcomes. Derived from systems theory, this process illustrates the dynamic interactions between the human and technical parts and processes of building systems to provide a holistic lens on human-building interaction, building systems integration, and the resulting building performance. The findings illustrate the opportunity to design independent building systems in view of their interactions, resulting effects on humans, and whole-building outcomes/performance goals. The findings conclude that independent building subsystem outputs have functional, social, and emotional effects on humans that are not intentionally captured in the traditional building design metrics.