Assessment of energy use in semi-buried building via sensitivity and optimisation analysis

This study addresses global construction challenges by improving the energy efficiency of a semi-buried residential building in Marrakech, Morocco. It combines two approaches, sensitivity analysis and multi-objective optimisation, to determine the optimal combination of retrofit measures that minimise building energy needs and enhance occupants’ thermal comfort in various climate types. To emphasise the thermal performance benefits of buried building construction, a preliminary analysis is conducted resulting in significant energy reductions of up to 29.28% for a 69.23% burial depth of above-ground floor. Subsequently, a comprehensive sensitivity analysis is conducted using Python to identify critical design variables associated with building envelope elements influencing global energy requirements. This analysis highlights the significance of effective roof insulation and glazing types. The optimisation procedure is performed through the coupling of TRNSYS and GenOpt. Findings demonstrate that the optimised design schemes yield substantial energy savings, ranging from 66.36% to 75.85% according to the climate type. These results provide tailored solutions for sustainable building design, offering valuable insights to enhance energy efficiency and promote environmental sustainability.