Optimal Configurations of Design and Construction Decisions to Maximize Social Quality-of-Life for Single-Family Housing Residents

Abstract

The social quality of life (SQOL) for single-family housing residents can be improved by maximizing their thermal comfort, improving the quality of indoor lighting, and enhancing indoor air quality. These SQOL improvements often require additional initial housing costs and have a direct effect on the annual energy cost of housing units. Accordingly, the design and construction of single-family housing units need to be analyzed carefully and optimized to maximize the SQOL for their residents while minimizing the initial cost and the annual energy cost of the housing units. This study presents the development of a multi-objective optimization model that is capable of generating optimal trade-offs among these three important optimization objectives. An application example also is analyzed to illustrate the capabilities of the developed model.