ABSTRACT
It is clear that early energy design decisions will play a fundamental role in the subsequent energy performance of a building. Strategic design support which responds to the appropriate issues and design level is required in an accessible and adaptable format. On the one hand the design tool must be flexible enough to be capable of assessing particular building designs and their relationship with the context, and on the other hand, such a tool should not demand design details not available at the early design stage.
The various versions of the LT Method aim to provide energy assessment for strategic design decisions which is both specific enough to test various options, and general enough not to be too demanding. LT thus fills a perceived gap between widely available, but generalised, design guidelines and textbooks, and sophisticated, but specific, computer simulation techniques. The specific development of the Method for the north European climate has provided some key insights into strategic design potential. It is these ad broader aspects of design tools that will be discussed with respect to the LT Method.
