Integrating energy and environmental considerations into building design through use of a simplified thermal assessment method

New buildings and building refurbishments should be designed such that the best use is\nmade of solar energy, and that fossil fuel based energy is not wasted. Because the thermal\nprocesses in a building are quite complex, the use of thermal assessment methods such as dynamic\nthermal simulation are generally recommended as part of the design process. These methods are\nintended to show building designers the effects of their building proposals on energy use, but are\noften too slow and difficult to use and do not really ‘fit’ into typical design practice. Therefore the\njob of energy assessment might be given to an engineer, but usually no assessment is done at all,\nor else the engineer is employed only to ‘rubber stamp’ the completed design. The method\noutlined in this paper is intended to give the building designer access to all the information in such\na way that at early design stages the thermal characteristics of the building design can be quickly\nexplored, in a parallel way to which designers explore issues of function and use, aesthetics,\nstructure and cost. It is proposed that through use of such a method, considerations of energy and\nenvironment can be integrated into each project from the very start of the design process.