Thermal design of air-conditioned building for tropical climate using admittance method and genetic algorithm

The present work proposes a methodology by combining building thermal model (admittance procedure) and an optimization technique (genetic algorithm) to allow a rapid energy efficient design for air-conditioned building in tropical climate. The developed model is meant for initial design stage of building, when the designer experiments with various ideas of forms and materials. Genetic algorithm (GA) is found a suitable optimization tool for design, because of its capability to handle different kinds of building design variables simultaneously and its approach towards the global optimum solution. The optimum solution, given by GA is further processed and validated through the building simulation software TRNSYS16. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.