Co-simulation and validation of the performance of a highly flexible parametric model of an external shading system

Abstract

The article presents a validation study of a modelling approach implemented in a numerical script for external louvred shading systems based on an experimental analysis in a full-scale test facility. The model developed to abstract the system was entirely parametric and used co-simulation to predict the indoor air temperature and illuminance levels in two points of the test cell. The calibration of the model of the test facility was carried out using a combination of two methods: automated calibration based on multi-objective optimization with a genetic algorithm and manual calibration. In total, six different configurations of the external shading system with varying complexity were investigated to validate the script. Its performance was assessed using three metrics: the root mean square error, the coefficient of variation of the root mean square error, and the normalized mean bias error. The results showed that the thermal environment was simulated with consistent accuracy for all the cases investigated, predicting air temperatures with an error well within the tolerance of building performance simulation tools and the experimental uncertainty. The daylighting model satisfactorily captured the different dynamics of illuminance peaks and dips, replicating the variations between different configurations, but with a lower degree of accuracy than for the thermal simulations.