Designing-in performance: evolutionary energy performance feedback for early stage design

A framework entitled Evolutionary Energy Performance Feedback for Design (EEPFD) was developed to mobilize the potential of multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) towards solving current obstacles between design and energy performance feedback. However, EEPFD needs to be applicable to the early stage design process where it has the potential for the greatest impact on the overall building lifecycle performance. This paper focuses on examining two criteria identified as necessary components to confirming the validity of EEPFD prior to EEPFD’s application to the actual design process: 1) the ability to accommodate varying degrees of geometric complexity; and 2) the ability to provide a continuing improved solution space. Through 12 hypothetical cases, the research confirms that EEPFD meets these criteria and therefore is suitable for further exploration in application to the early design process. Effective applications of EEPFD to the early stages of design are also explored and discussed.