Sustainability in architecture has long been a challenge, with buildings contributing around 40% of global carbon emissions. Despite growing awareness, progress has been slow, largely due to the complexities of designing projects tailored to unique locations and needs.
However, advancements in technology are shifting this paradigm. New tools now allow architects to analyze and visualize energy performance in real-time, enabling informed decisions that align with sustainability goals right from the start.
One such tool is Enscape Impact, recently developed through a joint venture between Chaos and global climate tech company IES. Its goal is to help architects make more data-driven decisions and effectively communicate the benefits of sustainability to clients.
With that in mind, let’s explore ten transformative ways this technology is reshaping sustainable architecture and helping the industry move toward a greener future.
1. Leveraging evidence-based design
Justifying sustainable design choices to clients can often be an uphill battle. These decisions may seem subjective without clear evidence, making it difficult to gain support for features that align with long-term project goals. Tools like Enscape Impact are addressing this challenge head-on.
By providing real-time visualization paired with performance analysis, architects can quantify metrics like energy use and carbon emissions during the design phase. This evidence-based approach not only validates design decisions but also strengthens the collaboration between architects and stakeholders by presenting clear data.
“With Enscape Impact, architects can visualize the performance of a building while designing, with a focus on criteria such as energy consumption and carbon dioxide emission. This has the potential to transform the role of sustainability in architectural design,” says Petr Mitev, VP of Solutions for Designers at Chaos.
2. Integrating visualization and analysis
Historically, design visualization and performance analysis were handled separately, creating inefficiencies and misalignment between architects and engineers. This disconnect often delayed projects and made it harder to ensure designs met sustainability goals.
Luckily, modern software now allows architects to analyze metrics like energy use and carbon emissions directly within their design workflow. This makes it easier to address sustainability early and avoid costly revisions later.
3. Better collaboration between architects and engineers
Another clear benefit of integrating visualization and performance analysis into a single workflow is its positive impact on communication between architects and engineers. This approach not only improves project efficiency but also ensures better alignment between aesthetic and technical aspects of the design.
By allowing architects to share accurate, actionable data early in the project, tools like Enscape Impact lead to a smoother collaboration. The result is fewer delays, improved coordination and designs that meet both sustainability and design intent goals.
4. Early understanding of sustainability
Architects often face a knowledge gap when it comes to applying detailed sustainability strategies during the initial design phases. While basic concepts like energy efficiency are widely understood, the technical details required for precise decision-making often rely on specialists, leading to delays and missed opportunities to address sustainability early.
However, by using tools that provide early insights into sustainability, architects can make informed decisions about layout, building materials and systems from the start. This minimizes the risk of expensive revisions later and ensures sustainable principles are built into the design process from the outset.
5. Encouraging design exploration
When trying to explore innovative design options, architects often face limitations, particularly due to the time and cost of manual analysis. Evaluating factors like local climate and environmental impact is essential, but traditional processes make it difficult for designers working within tight budgets and timelines.
New tools address this challenge by lowering the barriers to sustainable analysis, allowing architects to quickly test multiple design scenarios. This provides insights into how a building’s design interacts with its specific context, encouraging experimentation and the development of climate-responsive solutions.
6. Reusing existing buildings
Evaluating whether to reuse or replace older buildings has traditionally been a complex process, often requiring detailed analysis and specialized expertise. This can lead to missed opportunities to preserve structures with significant environmental or historical value.
New tools simplify this decision-making by providing clear insights into the energy performance and sustainability potential of existing buildings. Architects can quickly determine whether a structure is suitable for reuse or should be replaced, considering factors like passive design features or inefficiencies.
7. Faster and cheaper sustainable designs
Traditional design processes often require multiple revisions to meet sustainability goals, leading to delays and increased costs. Inefficient workflows and late-stage changes can waste resources and prolong project timelines.
However, tools like Enscape Impact offer instant access to critical data. This means that architects will be able to identify and resolve inefficiencies from the start and avoid carrying forward designs that don’t meet performance goals.
8. Making sustainability accessible to more designers
Traditionally, building performance analysis was a complex and costly process, requiring specialists and extensive resources. This meant that many projects, especially smaller ones, lacked access to actionable sustainability data.
Advancements in technology have made these analyses more accessible and streamlined, allowing architects and designers to incorporate sustainability considerations into their projects without the need for specialized expertise.
“Currently, building-performance analysis is a very complex, expensive, and time-consuming process, making it inaccessible to most projects, or delivering results far too late for them to be actionable. Enscape Impact is a low-cost-to-purchase solution that requires no prior training or experience, offering educational tooltips and minimal data entry to make building performance analysis accessible to all users,” shares Roderick Bates, Director of Corporate Development at Chaos.
9. Architects understand sustainability metrics better
Architects have historically relied on consultants to manage technical aspects such as energy use intensity and peak loads. This reliance often led to delays and miscommunication throughout the design process.
The introduction of new tools that present sustainability metrics in clear and accessible ways is changing this dynamic. These solutions enable architects to independently interpret and apply technical data to their designs, fostering better collaboration with consultants and minimizing project delays.
10. Clients are learning about sustainability
Clients often struggle to understand how design decisions impact sustainability, making it harder to support environmentally conscious choices. Traditional explanations can feel abstract, limiting engagement with sustainable concepts.
Visual tools that clearly link design elements, like building form, to outcomes such as energy efficiency or comfort, help clients grasp the value of sustainable designs.
And by making sustainability easier to understand, these tools encourage client support for eco-friendly designs, leading to a broader adoption of sustainable practices and paving the way for a more environmentally conscious industry.
Learn more about how emerging technologies are transforming this space with our guide, 10 Ways Technology is Transforming Sustainable Architecture.
