Approaching Environmental Issues in Architecture: A Case Study of a Design Process in Practice

The research presented here takes its point of departure in discussions about the design process with a specific focus on how the design process is approached when designing energy efficient architecture. This is done through single case-study of a design process in a Danish architectural office. This single case-study shows the importance of having a clear strategy about how to work with optimizing the energy efficiency in the building from the very first days of the work. It is not just a task that can be addressed by the engineers when a concept has been developed and approved by the client. It requires architects and engineers to address it from the beginning, but also the client to state it clearly in the brief and work actively with it. From the case it is evident that the work with energy efficiency requires us to focus on the formal framework for the design process and allow for exploring the boundaries between the professions and how the relations between them can help us to design these energy efficient buildings.