Introduction to Parametric Energy Design

Eric Field                                                          Tuesday / Thursday 11:00am -12:15 pm
emfield@virginia.edu                                    Campbell Hall room 107

What are the “parameters” of architectural energy influence?  In an age of LEED, Climate Change, Architecture 2030, and Design for Sustainability, the architect’s responsibility and opportunity includes designing for energy.  But how?  Really…, how?

This course will consider “energy” as a collection of design parameters – inputs, outputs, processes and influences - for buildings and cities, from climate, to material, form and shape, solar access, daylighting, wind, on-site renewable energy generation, costs, and carbon; and then study how we can actually manipulate them.

The primary work of the course will be to use, study, and visualize real data (Climate Consultant, Tableau) about real buildings and climates, and then use parametric design and evaluation tools (Sefaira, Rhino/Grasshopper, DIVA) to see how we might change how they perform.

Work will be based in the practice of performance-driven design, introducing tools and methods to analyze, propose, test, and parametrically evaluate choices through building simulation and data-centered feedback, to propose interventions and strategies for real buildings and real needs.