Performance-based design method for energy efficient buildings

Abstract Progress in digital technology over the past decades has enabled the emergence of new methods and techniques for design development with an emphasis on energy efficiency. The aim of this paper was to propose a performative design method for office buildings associating parametric modelling, optimisation-based simulation, evaluation and classification of energy performance. In order to do that, the Rhinoceros/Grashopper, Opossum and Honeybee softwares were used, respectively. The digital design models by Oxman (2006) were used as reference to structure experiments from case studies of office buildings located in Vitória, ES, Brazil. The parameters of the INMETRO standard for Energy Efficiency Class for Commercial, Service and Public Buildings (INI-C) guided the evaluations. The methodresulted in a 31% improvement in the total consumption of primary energy and a 54% reduction in the demand for refrigeration in buildings. The estimate of the influencedemonstrated significant impacts from the alteration of the type of glass, percentage of façade opening and the configuration of shaders. The studyshowedthat,despite the particularities, there is potential for applying the method in the initial stages of design development.