Developing a green-building design approach by selective use of systems and techniques

Building sustainability is subject to rational use of green-building systems and techniques. A suitable combination of these systems and techniques is at the heart of design parameters. To achieve user comfort and health as well as environmental protection and long-term economic benefits, designers must optimize combinations of particular systems and techniques. It is imperative to have efficient design strategies for achieving optimum solutions and effectively leading the complex process of selecting system and technique combinations to be integrated in overall design. With goal to optimize design effort, this research aims to propose different methodologies to help incorporate various green-building systems and techniques in design process. Systems and techniques prioritized by relative weights may ease the design process. Hence, with a focus on semi-arid climatic conditions, interviews are conducted from researchers and building practitioners who help express design priorities. Use of these priorities through the proposed design approach in case study of a sustainable residential building validates the workability of design methodology. Consequently, a model is proposed for integration of all three sustainability dimensions as design criteria in building simulation programs, facilitating the realization of green-building design.