ABSTRACT
With the fundamental and design processes established, this chapter dives into occupant modeling theory and techniques. Following Chapter 2, it starts with basic concepts of occupant behavior and occupant actions. It provides some retrospective analysis of how occupants are currently modeled in design practice and building codes (based on several recent international surveys). Next, the chapter reviews a wide spectrum of models in increasing levels of complexity, including: schedules, rule-based models, various stochastic models, agent-based models, and personas. With the types of models established, theoretical and practical insights are provided regarding model development and verification. While this chapter is mainly focused on theory, it also provides an overview of methods to incorporate occupant models into BPS tools. Finally, with the introduction of more complex and less transparent occupant models, the chapter provides some examples and insights about communicating their results to different stakeholders.
