Aims and scope

The Journal of Building Performance Simulation (JBPS) aims to make a substantial and lasting contribution to the international building community by supporting our authors and the high-quality, original research they submit. The journal also offers a forum for original review papers and researched case studies

We welcome building performance simulation contributions that explore the following topics related to buildings and communities:

    Theoretical aspects related to modelling and simulating the physical processes (thermal, air flow, moisture, lighting, acoustics).
    Theoretical aspects related to modelling and simulating conventional and innovative energy conversion, storage, distribution, and control systems.
    Theoretical aspects related to occupants, weather data, and other boundary conditions.
    Methods and algorithms for optimizing the performance of buildings and communities and the systems which service them, including interaction with the electrical grid.
    Uncertainty, sensitivity analysis, and calibration.
    Methods and algorithms for validating models and for verifying solution methods and tools.
    Development and validation of controls-oriented models that are appropriate for model predictive control and/or automated fault detection and diagnostics.
    Techniques for educating and training tool users.
    Software development techniques and interoperability issues with direct applicability to building performance simulation.
    Case studies involving the application of building performance simulation for any stage of the design, construction, commissioning, operation, or management of buildings and the systems which service them are welcomed if they include validation or aspects that make a novel contribution to the building performance simulation knowledge base.

The following topics are outside the journal's scope and will not be considered:

    Case studies involving the routine application of commercially available building performance simulation tools that do not include validation or aspects that make a novel contribution to the knowledge base.
    The structural performance of buildings and the durability of building components.
    Studies focused on the performance of buildings and the systems that serve them, rather than on modelling and simulation.

All articles submitted to JBPS are subject to initial appraisal by the Editors, and if found suitable for further consideration, enter peer review by independent, anonymous, expert referees. The Journal operates a double anonymized peer review and all submissions are to be made online using the JBPS ScholarOne site. For more information on contributing a manuscript visit our Instructions for Authors page.

Author benefits

JBPS is the official journal of the International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA). IBPSA is a non-profit international society of computational building performance simulation researchers, developers, practitioners and users, dedicated to improving the design, construction, operation and maintenance of new and existing buildings worldwide. All members of IBPSA will be able to access your research.

We are also abstracted and indexed in several high-quality databases including the Science Citation Index, Scopus, EBSCO and more.

Special Issue on Application Artificial Intelligence in Building Performance Simulation
截稿日期: 2026-01-16

Special Issue Editor(s)

Pieter de Wilde, Lund University (LTH)
pieter.de_wilde@ebd.lth.se	

Andrea Gasparella, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
andrea.gasparella@unibz.it	

Ardeshir Mahdavi, Graz University of Technology
a.mahdavi@tugraz.at	

Application Artificial Intelligence in Building Performance Simulation

Context

The last decade has experienced a remarkably rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies and their accelerating deployment in a wide variety of research, development, and practice domains. Building Performance Simulation (BPS) has not been exempted from this trend, as AI entry in the field is already influencing the multi-faceted community of BPS developers and users. In fact, the increasing number of publications pertaining to the AI in different BPS deployment scenarios and in different stages of the building design and construction process bears witness to this trend.

At the societal level of discourse, the rapid rise of AI and its purported transformative power has triggered numerous – in part controversial – views and reactions, ranging from marked skepticism to resounding enthusiasm. Whereas sceptics suspect hype or warn of societal ramifications, enthusiasts see game-changing opportunities and visionary prospects. The related discussions are arguably relevant also to the BPS community, as the following questions illustrate: Does the public reception and actual adoption of AI technologies follows similar instances in the past, when new tools and technologies were introduced (from steam engines to calculators, and indeed to BPS itself), which involved, delegating to “machines”, physical and cognitive tasks that were previously carried out by humans? Or does AI represent an unprecedented seismic departure, which poses entirely new civilizational challenges? Should AI-related efforts and contributions in BPS focus only on incremental improvements of the BPS components and workflows (e.g., user interfaces, data repositories, output visualization) or should they explore, envision, and implement new transformative tools and process for design, retrofit, and operation of high-performance built environments?

Addressing and answering these questions requires a closer and deeper look of AI’s current and future application instances in the BPS field.  

Aims

This Special Issue intends to collate timely contributions involving significant applications of AI in BPS. The resulting collection is intended not only to document the state of art in this area, but also to provide a perspective for future developments of AI as relevant to the prediction and evaluation of buildings’ performance.

Submission Instructions

Topics of interest

The special issue seeks original research on original and trendsetting applications of AI in (and integration of AI with) building performance simulation, aligned with the aims and scope of JBPS, and addressing in depth topics such as the following as exemplified through the following use cases:

·         Generation of simulation models as well examination of the models’ consistency and fidelity using AI,
·         AI-based assistance to simulation tool developers regarding code generation for applications’ computational engines and their interfaces
·         Generation and maintenance of data repositories regarding materials, systems, climatic boundary conditions, and occupancy patterns using AI
·         AI-based simulation output data visualization and interpretation support
·         Automated, parametric, and generative routines for design production (massing, envelop, systems)
·         AI-based building operation and automation support
·         Educational applications of AI in building physics and design computing
·         Potential risks and pitfalls in overt reliance on AI as relevant to the development and application of BPS tools 

It is important to highlight that the SI does not seek submissions involving routine applications of commercially available BPS tools that do not include an innovative exploration of AI’s innovative potential in the field of building performance simulation. Submissions that employ AI in buildings but without a link to building performance simulation will also be considered out of scope.

Important dates:

Abstract submission deadline (300 words to Guest Editors): 16 January 2026
Full-length article submission starts: 16 February 2026
Full-length article submission deadline: 3 July 2026

Guest Editors

Please address all correspondence regarding this topical issue to the Guest Editors:

Prof. Pieter de Wilde, Lund University (LTH)
Email: pieter.de_wilde@ebd.lth.se

Prof. Andrea Gasparella, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
Email: andrea.gasparella@unibz.it

Prof. Ardeshir Mahdavi, Graz University of Technology 
Email : a.mahdavi@tugraz.at

Important note:

The guest editors will review the abstracts and invite selected authors to develop full papers. They will also perform a preliminary review of manuscripts before they are submitted to the JBPS, this to ensure good alignment with the Special Issue theme and to provide a degree of quality control. Guest editors can provide authors with collegial advice and guidance at this stage. However, it is important for authors to be aware that positive appraisal by the guest editors at this stage does not guarantee subsequent acceptance by the journal as manuscripts are submitted to the journal and undergo the JBPS' standard double-blind review process (handled by journal editors).