Towards a computer based framework to support the low carbon building design process

A computerised framework should provide a means of bringing together and representing diverse tools and information into a single process with a single user interface. This paper describes the first findings of an ECSC/LSBU project that aims to integrate the range of activities, tools and information that constitute the low carbon building design process. It should combine them into a conceptual framework that can be used by developers, planners and architects at the critical early decision making stages of the procurement and design process. This computer-based framework will manage a sequence of activities and predictive energy analysis tools in order to provide low carbon building design decision support. It is anticipated that this will help overcome the limitations of existing ″data-centric″ tools which were found to be poorly integrated into the way that users work and are therefore rarely used by developers, planners and architects. The project is at an early stage and this initial paper gives an account of how the low carbon building design process was decomposed into a series of activities and how a range of decision support features could be usefully applied to these activities. Examples of these features are provided either from early prototypes or from existing systems that include aspects of the same desired functionality. Copyright , Manchester University Press.