ABSTRACT
Optimised performance and environmental quality of a building is best based on passive design principles and achieved through the development of form, envelope and systems of the building. With modern architectural science, the availability of innovative technologies and materials and sophisticated computer software to simulate and evaluate performance, the envelope can become an interactive environmental mediator rather than a mere separator as in the past. Research and demonstration projects have shown that the successful delivery of an holistic sustainable building demands an inclusive design decision-making process, through which the interconnections between building siting, form and envelope and engineering systems are considered and pursued in integrated design strategies, to achieve cost optimal solutions and quality architecture.
