Integrating design tools for total building evaluation

Abstract To advance the use of expert systems and simulation tools, in fact to make them acceptable and usable to practitioners, a new approach is required in the development of an expert system and simulation tool environment. In this paper we detail the work currently taking place in New Zealand on the development of such an integrated environment for the use of multiple simulation tools and expert systems in the design process and for the analysis and refinement of the design as it progresses to a more concrete form.