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Given climate change and rapid global development, buildings must meet increasingly stringent environmental performance goals. Although numerous building simulation software assess energy performance, few inform the early stages of design when critical decisions impacting energy use and carbon footprint are made. Underrepresented early design simulation software could potentially significantly improve the environmental performance of buildings. This paper presents the SEED Framework for multi-objective early design decision-making that utilizes EnergyPlus-based building energy, structural finite element analysis, and Radiance-based daylighting simulations. When furnished with basic inputs, the SEED Framework generates numerous design options ranked by energy use, embodied carbon, construction cost, and daylighting metrics. A case study of a hypothetical mid-sized office building modelled in the Boston, Washington D.C., and Phoenix, USA climates demonstrates how the framework can guide decisions throughout pre- and schematic design phases. This framework aims to assist architects in designing high performance buildings within project and budgetary constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar access is a crucial factor for the wellness and comfort of building occupants and for the development of the urban fabric. Most countries implemented regulatory frameworks that aim to guarantee appropriate access to sunlight into buildings. The solar envelope is a method that allows to determine the maximum buildout volume that guarantees solar access of neighboring buildings. Computer design tools have been developed to facilitate the automatic creation of solar envelopes. However, most of the tools have limitations when complex regulations need to be taken into account. The presented research develops an alternative computational method to generate solar envelopes to be used for different ordinances and particularly efficient in dense urban environments. Results show that the proposed method permits to obtain larger building masses than the conventional method, and to automate the generation of envelope variations, useful for assessing building performance and form selection in the early design stage. • The presented research develops an alternative method to generate solar envelopes named the Reverse Solar Envelope (RSE). • Differently than the conventional method the RSE method can be used in relation to different solar access ordinances. • The RSE method permits to generate larger solar envelopes than the conventional method especially in urban environments. • The workflow of the RSE generates automatically a number of solar envelopes for evaluation of building form alternatives. • The RSE method permits to automate the performance analysis process to improve building comfort and environmental impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]