Movement Based Simulation: Methods for Analysing and Mapping the Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Light and Temperature in Architectural Design

The use of environmental simulation tools plays a significant role across scientific disciplines and has seen an increasing importance in architecture, from research to practice applications. Of particular influence to the design process and later the quality of the built environment is the understanding of the dynamics between climate, materials and human comfort metrics. Through simulation processes in the early design phases, simulation-based investigations directly impact the decision-making process from urban planning and building design, to space syntax, window positioning and material application. However, despite the current advancements in climate-based modeling techniques, simulations are typically investigated and understood as simplified representations of complex conditions with limited time variables and omission of human-spatial dynamics. The spatiotemporal dynamics of environmental phenomena in design simulations remain underrepresented as part of exploring and evaluating advanced design proposition processes. This study investigates how space and time dynamics can be integrated into current simulation technologies and design processes by proposing a new design-integrated method for mapping and analysing the spatiotemporal variability of thermal and lighting conditions in architectural design and their potential impact on human sensations and comfort. The method is applied to a computational case study for testing, with the studies describing a new spatiotemporal representational framework that allows designers to identify and develop thermal and daylight spatiotemporal conditions based on the movement of people through space. The paper presents the proposed analysis and design methods for early-phase design applications, reviews their implications, and discusses further trajectories.