Conference Paper

Proceedings of Building Simulation 2025: 19th Conference of IBPSA

Quantifying the Simulation-Reality Gap in Building Simulations

Philipp Zech ¹, Sascha Hammes ², David Geisler-Moroder ², Martin Hauer ², Rainer Pfluger ², Ruth Breu ^1
1 Department of Computer Science, University of Innsbruck, Austria
² Unit of Energy Efficient Buildings, University of Innsbruck, Austria

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26868/25222708.2025.1189
Abstract: Despite improved simulation methods, built structuresoften deviate from predictions, in particulardue to assumptions caused by limited real-world data.The result is usually an energy performance gap. Thisstudy examines these differences using a living laband quantifies them using a novel measure to assessthe simulation-reality gap. The focus is on daylightand artificial light. The framework analyzes how thediscrepancies evolve across the different design phases– from pre-planning to execution – by comparingavailable information on material properties and detaillevels. This makes it possible to assess the impacton energy requirements and daylight availability.
Keywords: Simulation, Simulation-Realtig Gap, Living Lab
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