Building Performance SimulationVolume 1 · Issue 3 · August 2026
Building Performance Simulation
Predict how a building will behave before it exists — climate, thermal comfort, building physics, energy modelling, daylight, solar, airflow, passive design, codes and net-zero, from first shoebox model to a validated study.
A free Studio Matrx Academy deep dive into building performance simulation — predicting how a design will actually behave before it is built. Climate and weather data; thermal comfort; building physics; whole-building energy modelling (EnergyPlus, OpenStudio); daylighting (Radiance); solar and shading; ventilation and airflow (CFD); passive and low-energy design; codes and green ratings (ECBC, Eco Niwas Samhita, ASHRAE, LEED, GRIHA) and net-zero; plus workflow, validation and career. Decision-first and tool-aware, with India's codes and climate woven in — for architects, interior designers and students, worldwide.
Course byAmogh N P· Architect & interior designer11 modules · 44 lessons · ~14 hrs · 44 of 44 lessons live
Module 0 · Foundations of Building Performance Simulation0.1 · What Building Performance Simulation Is
Building performance simulation predicts how a design will actually behave - its energy use, comfort, daylight and airflow - while it is still on screen and cheap to change. This lesson sets the mindset the whole course builds on: simulate to decide, not to decorate, and read every result critically.
Read itStart with Module 0 — Foundations of Building Performance Simulation
Free · open0.1 · What Building Performance Simulation Is
Open0.2 · Why We Simulate Performance
Open0.3 · The Simulation Tools Landscape
Open0.4 · Reading a Simulation Critically
Open0.✓ · Mastery check: Foundations of Building Performance Simulation
OpenWhat you'll be able to do
Outcomes- 1Frame real design questions as testable, comparative performance simulations — and read results critically.
- 2Model climate, thermal comfort, building physics and whole-building energy (EnergyPlus/OpenStudio) with confidence.
- 3Simulate daylight (Radiance), solar and shading, and natural ventilation and airflow (CFD).
- 4Apply passive strategies, meet ECBC / Eco Niwas Samhita / GRIHA / LEED, and design toward net-zero.
The full course ahead
11 modules · 44 lessonsThe course opens with the foundations — what performance simulation is and how to read it — then works through climate and weather data, thermal comfort, building physics, whole-building energy modelling, daylighting, solar and shading, ventilation and airflow, and passive design — closing with codes and green ratings (ECBC, Eco Niwas Samhita, ASHRAE, LEED, GRIHA), net-zero, and the workflow, validation and career that make it real.
0Module 0 · Foundations of Building Performance Simulation
LiveBefore any software: what performance simulation is and why it belongs early in design, the great tool landscape, and how to read a simulation result without being fooled by it.
Module 0 · Foundations of Building Performance Simulation
LiveBefore any software: what performance simulation is and why it belongs early in design, the great tool landscape, and how to read a simulation result without being fooled by it.
1Module 1 · Climate & Weather Data
LiveSimulation starts with the sky: analysing a climate, EPW weather files, solar geometry and sun paths, and the bioclimatic charts that point to the right strategy.
Module 1 · Climate & Weather Data
LiveSimulation starts with the sky: analysing a climate, EPW weather files, solar geometry and sun paths, and the bioclimatic charts that point to the right strategy.
2Module 2 · Thermal Comfort
LiveThe real target of most simulation is people: the body's heat balance, the PMV/PPD model, adaptive comfort, and how comfort expectations shift in the Indian context.
Module 2 · Thermal Comfort
LiveThe real target of most simulation is people: the body's heat balance, the PMV/PPD model, adaptive comfort, and how comfort expectations shift in the Indian context.
3Module 3 · Building Physics Fundamentals
LiveThe physics every model rests on: conduction, convection and radiation, U-values and thermal resistance, thermal mass and time lag, and moisture and condensation risk.
Module 3 · Building Physics Fundamentals
LiveThe physics every model rests on: conduction, convection and radiation, U-values and thermal resistance, thermal mass and time lag, and moisture and condensation risk.
4Module 4 · Energy Modelling
LiveWhole-building energy: the energy balance, thermal zoning and the model, heating and cooling loads, and the EnergyPlus and OpenStudio workflow.
Module 4 · Energy Modelling
LiveWhole-building energy: the energy balance, thermal zoning and the model, heating and cooling loads, and the EnergyPlus and OpenStudio workflow.
5Module 5 · Daylighting Simulation
LiveDesigning with light: daylight metrics (DF, sDA, ASE, UDI), Radiance, climate-based daylight modelling, and controlling glare and visual comfort.
Module 5 · Daylighting Simulation
LiveDesigning with light: daylight metrics (DF, sDA, ASE, UDI), Radiance, climate-based daylight modelling, and controlling glare and visual comfort.
6Module 6 · Solar & Shading
LiveThe sun as load and resource: solar radiation analysis, shading design and optimization, solar PV potential, and controlling overheating.
Module 6 · Solar & Shading
LiveThe sun as load and resource: solar radiation analysis, shading design and optimization, solar PV potential, and controlling overheating.
7Module 7 · Ventilation & Airflow
LiveMoving air: natural ventilation strategies, airflow networks versus CFD, CFD basics for buildings, and wind and pressure analysis.
Module 7 · Ventilation & Airflow
LiveMoving air: natural ventilation strategies, airflow networks versus CFD, CFD basics for buildings, and wind and pressure analysis.
8Module 8 · Passive & Low-Energy Design
LiveDoing more with less: passive strategies by climate, envelope optimization, thermal mass and night purge, and testing passive design with simulation.
Module 8 · Passive & Low-Energy Design
LiveDoing more with less: passive strategies by climate, envelope optimization, thermal mass and night purge, and testing passive design with simulation.
9Module 9 · Codes, Ratings & Net-Zero
LiveThe rulebook and the goal: ECBC and Eco Niwas Samhita, ASHRAE 90.1 and LEED, GRIHA, and net-zero energy and carbon.
Module 9 · Codes, Ratings & Net-Zero
LiveThe rulebook and the goal: ECBC and Eco Niwas Samhita, ASHRAE 90.1 and LEED, GRIHA, and net-zero energy and carbon.
10Module 10 · Workflow, Validation & Career
LiveMaking it real and trustworthy: simulation in the design process, calibration and validation, uncertainty and sensitivity, and the building-performance career.
Module 10 · Workflow, Validation & Career
LiveMaking it real and trustworthy: simulation in the design process, calibration and validation, uncertainty and sensitivity, and the building-performance career.
The author
Amogh N P
Architect, interior designer, and creative polymath. Studio Matrx began in his notebooks — his vision of design made honest, useful, and open to everyone. Its Academy is written and taught in his memory, and free, forever.
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