Bioclimatic design refers to the incorporation of natural elements into the building design process to increase the user’s comfort, i.e. thermal, visual, acoustic comfort and Indoor Air Quality. Through bioclimatic design buildings integrate strategies for passive heating and cooling, increased natural lighting and improved microclimatic conditions of the immediate surrounding environment. Bioclimatic design, apart from improving the comfort of the building occupants, and as a result their health and productivity, can significantly reduce the energy demand of the buildings.
Energy design refers to design choices for thermally insulating the building envelope to reduce unwanted thermal loads in the summer and thermal losses during winter, for the appropriate mechanical equipment for heating, cooling and ventilation and for the incorporation of building management systems to optimize energy use. Energy design of buildings also refers to the integration of renewable energy systems to the building envelope. The third category refers to the design choices for construction materials and techniques to minimize the ecological footprint of the building.
Ecological footprint refers to the amount of environmental damage related to mining work, processing work, transportations etc., during the building’s construction, operation and rejection processes. In the above context, the Lab addresses environmental design of existing and new buildings, environmental conservation of vernacular and modern-movement architecture, innovative and sustainable construction components and materials, adaptive building envelope design, improvement of environmental education and awareness.