Skip to main content
News

๐—”๐—ฑ๐—ฑ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ด๐˜† ๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐˜† ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐˜†: ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—Ÿ๐—ผ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐—™๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ ๐—™๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐˜€ ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ป.

The critical agenda of achieving energy efficient building design is currently an ever-increasing urgency. This means that the designs of buildings and spaces are constantly being challenged to achieve high standards of energy performance. One could question why or when did this ever stop? Have architects or developers been too focused on output rather than quality?

One could argue that key catalysts in driving sustainable and energy efficient design such as โ€˜Global Warmingโ€™, a slogan which has been used for decades and now the โ€˜The Climate Crisis Emergencyโ€™, have awakened the general publicโ€™s awareness of what architecture should have always been.

Early in the design process it is key to understand the significance of a buildingโ€™s orientation, whether existing or proposed. Building orientation is a crucial factor that Architects train to observe early on in their educational curriculum, understanding how it affects the overall building design and placement. Knowledge is acquired to identify how orientation affects elements such as, the specification of the overall fabric: developing envelope build-ups and material choice, windows: their number, size and placement, roof design: their profiles and overhangs, together with shading devices: their calculated placement and format.

The importance of building/space orientation becomes ever more clear when applying the science of Passivhaus to building design. Backed up by proven science and mathematical formulae, the Passivhaus model accurately identifies the energy performance of a building prior to anyone โ€˜putting a spade in the groundโ€™, with orientation a key factor in determining this.

Working hand in hand with orientation is determining the Heat Loss Form Factor (HLFF) of a building. During the initial design stage for Passivhaus projects, determining the HLFF of a building is key, a critical metric for quantifying how compact a building is and its impact on energy efficiency. Heat Loss Form Factor calculations allow for Passivhaus designers to present to their client a โ€˜ballparkโ€™ energy performance at early concept design stages.

As certified PH designers, we at Lytle Associates Architects can help you realise these requirements in the initial stages of your project development. Contact us today to discuss:

โ˜Ž๏ธ (+44) 01483 301 661

๐Ÿ“จ
prawsthorn@lytle-associates.com

๐ŸŒ
www.lytle-associates.com

LytleAssociates Architects
PassivhausTrust
PassiveHouse Institute | iPHA
Architects Registration Board
RIBA

 

โ€

โ€

Posted on
July 28, 2025