Towards ‘architect-friendly’ energy evaluation tools

Abstract

Several studies demonstrate the importance of integrating energy analyses in the architectural design process. For this, a wide variety of building performance simulation programs are currently available. However, most of these tools are not in tune with the architects' approach and are not suitable for early design stages, when major decisions are made. Despite recent developments addressing the use of simulation in the design process (DP), the uptake by architects is still limited. Further, the importance of user's needs has repeatedly been reported in literature, but has rarely been investigated from an architect's point of view. However, researchers and design tool developers need this information to improve the compatibility of existing tools with the architectural DP and to develop new tools. This research focuses on the use of energy evaluation tools by architects, and aims at a better understanding of the architect's preferences for these tools. The concept of 'architect-friendliness' was studied via interviews with 9 Flemish architects, and via a large-scale survey among 629 Flemish architects. The results provide important information for the development of energy tools that better fit the DP and better meet the architect's expectations. Finally, a conceptual framework specifying the concept of "architect-friendliness" is proposed.