ABSTRACT
A second-level space boundary surface is the surface through which thermal energy flows between internal building spaces and the building environment. To set up whole building energy simulation models, knowledge of these boundaries is required. The geometric challenges associated with identifying these second-level space boundaries are compounded when considering overlapping multi-layer building constructions — a particular case but one often encountered in practice. In the present work, we introduce the concept of high-order (greater than two) space boundary surfaces and a geometric algorithm to identify such surfaces from Building Information Models. The proposed algorithm extends our earlier work on first-order second-level space boundary calculation. We use as input building information models from real buildings, to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed algorithm. In particular, we consider a facade retrofitting application scenario, where external and internal multi-layer elements are added. The algorithm identified correctly second and third-order second-level space boundaries, related to these additional elements.
