Education of Passive Systems in the US Architecture Schools: From the Conceptual Level to the Levels of Simulation and Calculation ✓ Most Recent

The purpose of this paper is to assess the current level of the education of building simulation for the design of passive/natural systems in the US architecture schools. Although an extensive list of publications about passive/natural systems exists, there are very few studies addressing their level of education with a particular focus on the simulation tools and their application. This paper will present and discuss parts of the results of the data that was collected through online survey questionnaires focused on educators in the US architecture schools. The education of passive/natural heating, cooling, ventilation, daylighting, and renewable energy systems was each compared on three levels of simulation, calculation, and concept. The findings indicate a low level of the education of passive systems’ simulation, particularly for the systems that need complex designs. In this case, daylighting simulations were more regularly taught, while the education of passive cooling simulation was more common than passive heating simulation. See more