In the area of indoor built environment modelling, the main focus was usually put on the
accuracy of the modelled equipment within the given environment. There was not enough
attention placed on the modelling of occupants inside the building, who represent the
ultimate end?users and should be the most important element of an indoor built
environment model. This deficiency was mainly due to the difficulties of modelling human
behaviour with the traditional mathematical modelling methods usually adopted in the field.
Therefore, in order to model the occupants more effectively, a more appropriate alternative
approach is needed. This thesis examined the suitability of agent?based modelling and
simulation (ABMS) for the indoor built environment. Philosophies of ABMS for the built
environment were discussed, with the natural flow of progression stages in indoor built
environment models outlined and explored, showing the need for switching a problem of
simplicity to one in which a complex organised system was defined.
Scenarios of single active agent case in ABMS for indoor built environment were used to
demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach, with the finding that ABMS was versatile in
modelling different types of occupants. It provided an illustration of the difference between
people with different sensation time, and estimated energy savings between occupants with
varied understanding of the environment.
A classification scheme for different types of indoor built environment models with different
levels of complexities was proposed and discussed. Based on the classification scheme,
models with different levels of complexities were applied to the same building to explore the
feasibility and practicality of the scheme. It was found that the simulation results provided
insightful figures on probable energy consumption for different types of occupants and their
crowd behaviour when interactions between occupants were considered. Findings included
the amount of energy saved (around 10%) by a knowledgeable occupant over a less
informed one, and the tendency for the majority (?66%) of occupants trying to save energy
by assessing the environment themselves under different conditions.
To further assist building management and the implementation of ABMS approach in built
environment for simulations, the concepts of geographic information system (GIS) were
modified for applications in the indoor environment, based on its similarity with ABMS for a
grid?based environment. A prototype program was developed to test the applicability of the
proposed concepts, with OPC connectivity for connections to real?world equipment. It was
found that the idea of indoor GIS helps to solve problems such as the facility layout problem
or the difficulties of information storage/retrieval in facility management, and this concept
also integrated well with ABMS.
With the successful modelling of different types of occupants and simulation results
consistent with real data, it can be concluded from the work that ABMS is a promising
approach for future generations of indoor built environment models. Also, with the inspiring
framework of indoor GIS, the combination of ABMS and GIS in an integrated platform will
certainly bring a powerful tool to the field. / published_or_final_version / Mechanical Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:HKU/oai:hub.hku.hk:10722/180812 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Lee, Ho-yin, 李浩賢 |
| Publisher | The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) |
| Source Sets | Hong Kong University Theses |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | PG_Thesis |
| Source | http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B47244410 |
| Rights | The author retains all proprietary rights, (such as patent rights) and the right to use in future works., Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License |
| Relation | HKU Theses Online (HKUTO) |
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