Before 2020, the way occupants utilized the built environment had been changing slowly towards scenarios in which occupants have more choice and flexibility in where and how they work. The global COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this phenomenon rapidly through lockdowns and hybrid work arrangements. Many occupants and employers are considering keeping some of these flexibility-based strategies due to their benefits and cost impacts. This paper simulates various scenarios related to the operational technologies and policies of a real-world campus using a district-scale City Energy Analyst (CEA) model that is calibrated with measured energy and occupancy profiles extracted from WiFi data. These scenarios demonstrate the energy impact of ramping building operations up and down more rapidly and effectively to the flex-based work strategies that may solidify. The scenarios show a 4-12% decrease in space cooling demand due to occupant absenteeism if centralized building system operation is in place, but as high as 21-68% if occupancy-driven building controls are implemented. The paper discusses technologies and strategies that are important in this paradigm shift of operations.

翻译：2020年前，建筑使用者对建成环境的利用方式已逐步向更具选择权与灵活性的工作场景转变。全球新冠疫情通过封锁措施与混合工作安排迅速加速了这一趋势。许多使用者与雇主正考虑保留部分基于灵活性的策略，因其兼具效益与成本优势。本文运用经WiFi数据提取实测能耗与入住率参数校准的区域级城市能源分析师模型，模拟真实校园场景中各类运营技术与政策方案。这些方案展示了根据可能固化的弹性工作策略，更快速有效调节建筑运行节奏所带来的能源影响。结果表明：若采用集中式建筑系统运行，入住率不足将导致空间制冷需求下降4-12%；而若实施入住率驱动的建筑控制，该降幅可达21-68%。本文探讨了在此运营模式转型中具有重要性的技术与策略。