The application of building performance simulation in the writing of architectural history: Analysing climatic design in 1960s Israel

This article presents a methodology for the integration of building performance simulation (BPS) into the writing of architectural history. While BPS tools have been developed mainly for design purposes, their current maturity enables to reliably apply them in simulating the performance of past buildings, even when these buildings have been significantly modified or demolished. The possibility to virtually reconstruct the performance of past buildings can help us to overcome the existing knowledge gap in the understanding of the role played by building performance and building performance research through the history of architecture and can therefore promote the intelligent and successful application of environmental features in contemporary architecture. The potential of the proposed methodology is presented here using a historical case study from 1960s Israel (a university building in Tel Aviv), in which climatic considerations were an explicit part of the entire design process. The original thermal performance of the building was analysed by employing the EnergyPlus simulation engine, and the simulation results were used for evaluating the climatic impact of certain design decisions, comparing them with the proclaimed design goals and the original intentions of the architects.