Modelling of fluid-structure interactions (FSI) plays a key role in many engineering applications. However, due to the interaction between fluid and structure the computational cost related to high fidelity models (especially for strongly coupled systems) limits the direct use of current FSI simulation techniques in industry. Since a thorough knowledge of FSI phenomena is very important in design processes, efficient simulation techniques that combine low cost with high accuracy need to be developed. To this end, the use of the space mapping optimization technique as coupling approach for partitioned FSI simulations is investigated.