This paper illustrates the use of Functional Mockup Interface (FMI) [1] to couple an occupant behaviour simulator and a building model. Due to their intrinsic nature, occupant behaviour and building and its energy systems are usually represented by different modelling paradigms. The occupant behaviour is here described by Agent-Based Modelling (ABM) whereas the building is described by a set of hybrid and differential algebraic equations, typical of dynamic thermal modelling. Such different complex systems cannot be efficiently simulated in a single tool. Therefore, one solution is the tool coupling approach. The FMI standard for co-simulation was used to couple the SMACH occupant behaviour simulator and a building energy model built with the BuildSysPro Modelica library. Variables of interest are passed from one model to another at fixed synchronization time steps.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.