This class is part of AIA+2030, a ten-session Professional Series to help design professionals create buildings that meet the energy efficiency goals of the 2030 Challenge. Learn more and Register for the series.

Session III: Accentuate the positive: climate responsive design
The conventional modern building design approach presumes that a building’s energy will be imported in the form of electricity and fuel. Integrated design accounts for the resources sites offer, as well as minimizing unwanted environmental conditions. In this session, we’ll explore using climate data, site characteristics and other tools to conduct a Site Resource Inventory, which in turn is used to inform the building design and lower building energy load. This session will set the stage for future sessions addressing specific strategies in more detail by first addressing the question, “What do we need to know in order to create an informed design?” and examine the synergies and tradeoffs of major design decisions.

Learning objectives:
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Produce a building form and orientation strategy that is responsive to site and climatic factors.
- Explain why climate responsive design reduces the energy load of a building.
- List the site and climate factors that impact a building’s performance.