Relative importance of various geometrical design parameters in a hot, humid climate

This paper focuses on the sensitivity analysis of a building's energy performance, in a hot, humid climate, to the values assigned to various design parameters during the early conceptual design stage. During this design stage, the architect defines the geometry of the building and its relation to the surroundings. We concentrate mainly on four design parameters-building proportions, orientation, shading, and area of walls and windows. Nongeometrical design parameters that should be defined at the early design stages are examined as well. The relative importance of the various design parameters is analyzed. Accordingly, the architect can devote more attention to those parameters that most influence the thermal performance of the building. The recommendations obtained from this work are aimed at providing the designer with guidance about the advisable energy-efficient form of the structure during the decision-making process.