Modelica Buildings Library Now Available In Modelon Impact

Modelon is happy to announce that the Modelica Buildings Library is included and fully supported in Modelon Impact. 

This integration creates new possibilities for engineers and researchers working to improve building performance, enabling scalable modeling and simulation within a modern, collaborative environment. 

A Closer Look at the Modelica Buildings Library

The Modelica Buildings Library, developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), is a robust open-source resource for modeling building energy and control systems. It provides validated models for HVAC, electrical systems, geothermal storage, controls, and thermal envelopes. 

 
It’s widely used in commercial engineering projects and academic research projects to design low-energy buildings, evaluate control strategies, model district energy systems and data centers, and explore innovative architectural and system configurations. The library supports system-level analysis, long-term performance simulations, and advanced co-simulation using tools such as EnergyPlus.

A Natural Fit for Modelon Impact

The Buildings Library’s integration in Modelon Impact opens new ways to access and apply its capabilities. 

Combining this widely respected open-source library with Modelon’s cloud-native platform, engineers have an accessible, intuitive way to explore energy systems. 

The value of the Buildings Library lies not just in its models but in what it allows engineers to do. Users can: 

• Evaluate energy efficiency strategies for HVAC systems 

• Simulate actual control algorithms under realistic conditions 

• Assess how building envelope improvements affect system loads 

• Test the response of systems to changing weather and occupancy profiles 

• Explore interactions between electrical, mechanical, and thermal domains 

 
These capabilities help engineers and designers answer critical questions about energy use, comfort, cost, and performance well before a building is constructed or retrofitted. 

Supporting Open-Source to Enable Innovation

While support for using open-source libraries can be hard to come by, Modelon is committed to providing expert support so all Modelon Impact users, regardless of their familiarity with the library itself, can leverage the Buildings Library. Modelon offers self-guided tutorials through its Help Center to users and non-users alike for learning how to use the Buildings Library. In addition, Modelon Impact users will also get dedicated support in Modelon Impact, including one-on-one guidance from our experts. 

“As a Modelica platform, we’re always looking for ways to leverage high-quality 3^rd party libraries within Modelon Impact. By offering the Buildings Library as part of Modelon Impact, we aim to help more engineers access, learn, and apply its tools to accelerate innovation and collaboration. Users benefit from automatic updates to the latest version of the library, with ongoing testing and maintenance to ensure compatibility and performance.”

Pieter Dermont

Chief Product Officer at Modelon

For other advanced applications like extending or customizing components or connecting Modelon library components to the Buildings Library, Modelon’s experts are ready to help every step of the way. 

Built for Flexibility and Collaboration

By being able to use the Modelica Buildings Library with Modelon Impact’s commercial libraries, as well as the benefit of using Modelon Impact models with EnergyPlus , it’s now possible for users to create hybrid workflows beyond typical design boundaries. 

For example, various building systems, such data center systems or HVAC systems, can be simulated alongside district energy networks, renewable integration scenarios, or advanced control logic—all within a unified modeling environment. 

Modelon Impact enables users to build and simulate models in a browser-based workspace that removes the friction of software installation, version mismatches, and collaboration barriers. Projects are version-controlled by default and easily shareable, making the platform particularly helpful for distributed teams or organizations working with external partners. 

Get started with the Modelica Buildings Library in Modelon Impact—built by engineers, backed by experts, and ready for the future.