Systems modelling for sustainable building design

To support performance‐oriented modelling for sustainable building design, one must both model geometric interdependencies in a parametric way and include non‐geometric physical, environmental, and economic design reasoning. For this purpose, this paper examines the use of Systems Modelling Language (SysML) to model systems for sustainable building design and develops a method called Parametric Systems Modelling (PSM). Selected diagrams demonstrate the application of the method for performance‐oriented building design and show generic models of typical requirements, design structures, internal processes, and item flows of energy and resources in a systems view. An exemplary implementation of a parametric system, which handles the trade‐off between investments in both building envelope and heat generation technology, illustrates the use and benefit of systems modelling for decision‐making. Further considerations address integrating systems modelling into the CAD/BIM‐based design process.