ABSTRACT
Buildings often take years to settle into a pattern of use in terms of energy and occupant behaviour. By examining a building after a long span of time, in this case ten years, the building’s performance can be evaluated against the very tightly defined environmental performance that governed the original design process. This chapter presents a case study on Bucholz McEvoy Architects, which is a small architectural practice based in Dublin, Ireland. It provides information on technical design research undertaken by them. The practice's research is conducted in collaboration with the School of Architecture at the University of Limerick and PAC Studio Architects. The university partner helps to establish clear research methodologies and provides a structured, unbiased and critical framework, while partnering with another architectural practice provides a broader set of analytical skills. The design process went through a set of steps, now familiar to the practice, starting with setting boundary conditions and establishing performance criteria.
