ABSTRACT
Rapid depletion of natural resources and increased environmental degradation demand a vigorous scrutiny of accepted design and construction methods that are largely the product of an older energy regime. This series of undergraduate research studios explores the relationship between building form and energy performance, using active solar potential as a design driver to shape mid-rise housing typologies for New York City. Building on a long and contested tradition of solar design, the research combines newly available computing methods with intuition and value judgment on the part of the designer to arrive at informed architectural outcomes. The forms emerging from these studios express the competing environmental and human factors that informed their making and, at the same time, promote energy-conscious spatial practices. Results shed light on the formal, spatial, and social implications of the impending energy revolution in our cities. They offer a preview of how buildings could transform under the selective pressures of high on-site energy fraction and low energy use. Most importantly, they embody the aspirations of a new generation of architects toward a more equitable use of resources.
