Bio-climatic design strategies: Cross-disciplinary evaluation

Bioclimatic design integrates climate-responsive architectural strategies to enhance energy efficiency, thermal comfort, and sustainability in buildings while preserving their cultural and historical value. This study presents a cross-disciplinary evaluation framework for assessing existing buildings, focusing on environmental impact reduction and adaptive reuse strategies. The methodology considers core environmental and urban climatological factors, heritage significance, and practical implementation measures, including passive heating and cooling, advanced engineering systems, and nature-based solutions (NBS). Through a structured decision-making approach resulting in—reuse & retrofit, conserve & adapt, and convert & transform—this research aims to optimize energy performance while maintaining architectural integrity. The findings contribute to sustainable urban development by mitigating the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect and fostering climate resilience through interdisciplinary collaboration.

The evaluation framework considers seven key disciplines: environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, solar radiation, wind, and precipitation) and urban climatological factors (heatwaves, UHI effect) as core factors. Support factors include heritage and cultural value to ensure historical preservation and nature-based solutions (NBS) for integrating green infrastructure. Practical implementation focuses on energy analysis (efficiency, passive heating/cooling), engineering and structural systems (building envelope, HVAC, structural integrity), and architectural analysis (zoning, orientation, materials, and climate-adaptive design). These factors form an interconnected system, refining strategies for sustainable retrofitting and climate resilience.

Keywords: Bioclimatic design, sustainable architecture, building retrofit, adaptation, climate resilience, energy efficiency, historical preservation, urban heat island.