Learning by playing – teaching energy simulation as a game
Name
Learning_by_playing_-_teaching_energy_simulation_a.pdf
Description
Accepted version
Size
483.07 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
c96c88aa70adcb596937f42b8eefac5b
Author(s)
Reinhart, Christoph
Date Issued
August 2011
Journal
Journal of building performance simulation
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Citation
Reinhart Christoph F. et al. “Learning by playing – teaching energy simulation as a game.” Journal of building performance simulation, vol. 5, no. 6, 2011, pp. 359-368 © 2011 The Author(s)
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
Being able to read thermal simulation results and to adapt one's design accordingly has become an essential skill for graduating and practicing architects. This article proposes and evaluates an innovative way of how this skill can be taught via a 90-min in-class exercise or 'game' based on DesignBuilder/EnergyPlus. The game was tested in a class of 47 architecture students who competed to generate the lowest energy use intensity (EUI) for an office building in Boston. Design upgrades were associated with a cost premium and the overall upgrade budget was capped. The EUIs of the 10 final submissions were 22-31% below the base variant. While student essays revealed a clear preference for game-based learning vis-a-vis conventional teaching methods, the authors further propose that the game nourishes the emergence of an energy modelling 'culture' within schools of architecture that may lead to enhanced communication between architects and energy modellers.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Architecture
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1080/19401493.2011.619668
