Mapping the potential for climate-conscious design of buildings

Where climatic conditions vary substantially across a country, it may be of benefit to map the potential of different areas for the application of various techniques for energy-conscious architecture. A zoning approach is proposed that is based on careful selection of climatic variables from meteorological data commonly available, and which uses the statistical technique of cluster analysis for regional grouping. The proposed approach is illustrated for the case of Israel, whose climatic conditions are extremely diverse despite the country's small size. The proposed approach may help to determine the spatial limits to which certain performance standards may apply, or in which particular climate-conscious design techniques may be beneficial. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.