ABSTRACT
Building performance covers a wide variety of aspects. In the past and for the immediate future much attention is rightfully devoted to energy efficiency of buildings and communities. However, it is vitally important to realize that the primary purpose of buildings is to protect against undesirable outside conditions, and in the case of commercial buildings and homes, to provide healthy, comfortable and also, in many cases, productive indoor environments. The chapter demonstrates that building performance simulation has the potential to deliver, directly or indirectly, substantial benefits to building stakeholders and to the environment. It explains that the building simulation community faces many present and future challenges. Model testing is conducted to identify any inaccuracies that may exist and to reveal errors within the model. In the conceptual and communicative model phases, one has to decide about the modelling complexity, which includes the scope and resolution.
