Workshop – Archetypes for Urban Building Energy Modelling (UBEM): Data Collection and Analysis, Methodologies, Calibration and Practical Application

Urban Building Energy Modelling (UBEM) is a rapidly expanding research field with high relevance to urban sustainability and energy planning. One of the main challenges in UBEM is translating urban building data into simulation-ready input, including envelope characteristics, systems configuration, and operational schedules. In the absence of complete and structured building  datasets, which are uncommon in many urban contexts, researchers often rely on building archetypes as alternatives to  simulate large-scale urban environments.

This workshop aims to bring together researchers and practitioners working on the development, calibration, and application of  archetypes in UBEM. We invite contributions from those who create archetypes based on existing databases, local knowledge, or innovative data analytics methods, as well as from UBEM tool developers seeking to improve data interoperability and  standardization.

Key themes of the workshop include:

• Methodologies for generating and validating building archetypes
• Integration of occupant behavior and building systems in archetype definitions
• Use of archetypes in data-scarce contexts
• Strategies to ensure interoperability across UBEM tools
• Perspectives on standardizing input formats to support scalable UBEM applications

Format and Engagement:

The workshop will host a curated panel of invited experts in the field. Each speaker will deliver a brief presentation focusing on a  specific aspect of “Archetypes for UBEM”, highlighting methodologies, challenges, or applications. These initial presentations  will set the stage for an interactive roundtable discussion, where the moderators will engage the speakers in a dialogue. The session will also welcome active participation from the audience, with time dedicated to questions and open discussion.

Invited speakers

The short presentations will be delivered by Prof. Da Yan (Tsinghua University), Alfonso Capozzoli (Politecnico di Torino), Prof.  Xing Shi (Tongji University), PhD. Yu Qian Ang (National University of Singapore in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of  Technology).

Who Should Attend

The workshop is designed for researchers, software developers, and urban planners interested in urban-scale energy simulation.  It offers a platform to exchange knowledge, share methodological innovations, and identify opportunities for collaboration and  tool integration.

Relevant Publications by the Organizers

• Ferrando et al. (2020), “Urban Building Energy Modelling (UBEM) tools: A state-of-the-art review”, Sustainable Cities and Society.
• Carnialetto et al. (2021), “Italian Prototype Building Models for Urban Scale Simulation”, Building and Environment.
• Ferrando et al. (2022), “Improvement of UBEM Archetypes via Data-Driven Occupant Schedules”, Sustainable Cities and Society.

Context

This workshop is part of the dissemination activities of the URBEM project (Urban Reference Buildings for Energy Modelling), funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (PRIN2020). PI: Prof. Francesco Causone.