Principles For Sustainable And Efficient Settlements, Based On A Multi-Agent Interface Between The Physical Spaces Structure And The Energy Grid
Authors: La Rocca Giovanni Luigi 
Published: November 2013

The “multi-agent systems” approach allows to model the interaction between various entities (agents), through an organization that helps to simplify problems with a high number of freedom degrees. An agent is a semi-autonomous entity that interacts with the surrounding reality through its own system of decision, cognition, communication and organization. The research project aims to define a relationship between the design of the energy system and the suitable organization of the physical spaces. The livable conditions for the physical spaces need a strong relationship between the natural resources and the environment artificial transformations. These ones include architectural and engineering approaches in order to generate an integrated design where active and passive solutions produce advantageous gains also in terms of duration and quantity. A specific goal of the research consists in exploring the agent approach in order to integrate, in a compensatory way, the energy system and the physical space structure, defining the agent itself as their interface. At the change of the environmental conditions, the agent minds to preserve efficiently the optimal habitability conditions of the urban and architectural spaces. To reach this result, it will be used its feature to interact with the space in which it is immersed. In this case, the interaction is established with the control system of the comfort standards, defining: * Firstly, the use of active and passive devices of exploitation of the direct gains (i.e. solar, wind, etc…); * Secondly, the use of the energy network, to compensate the passive gains and the energy exchanges with the other elements of the network. The control framework of the agent will be determined through a mathematical model whose variables derive from the physical space and the energy system. Through this system, the research project will deal with a series of issues that contribute to define a sustainable and efficient settlement: * A coherent management of different environmental resources oriented towards new livable and meaningful public and private spaces conception; * The mobility network system improving the settlement structure and its functionality, through the target of car-free living and car-sharing; * The problem of synchronization of distributed energy generation and the quality of the electric power fed into the urban micro-grid. The research will be structured through the following phases: 1) Definition of the invariants on which to work: - Climate; - Geomorphology; - Urban morphology; - Building morphology; - Energy production and consumption; - Usable renewable energy sources. 2) Definition of the "agent interface": role, control features and mathematical law; 3) Modelling different urban structures; 4) Experimentation of the model, through: * Software simulations; * Realization of the model prototype, defined on the base of the simulations. The agent architecture contributes to the energy efficiency (at both the urban and building scales) implying an energy management based on: * The analysis of the effective needs; * The use of sharing and self-sufficient strategies. The expected results consist in defining possible guidelines suitable in designing new space organization as well in restructuring the existing structures.