Design of buildings shape and energetic consumption

This work aims at relating the hearing consumption of the buildings with their shape. This information is dedicated to the architects and engineers. At the beginning of the project. they need global information enabling them to find economical solutions as for energy consumption. First of all, a parameter that has been chosen to characterize the shape of the buildings is introduced. The selection of this coefficient is grounded on the necessary simplicity of its use by conceivers. Thus, the shape coefficient is defined as the ratio between the external skin surfaces and the inner volume of the building. Then, the sample of the studied buildings is described. Fourteen buildings have been chosen according to their varieties in shapes and their representativeness in current constructions. The calculation code used to evaluate the heating consumption is briefly described. This code operates the method of weighting factors. The method is quick and well adapted to the study as the 14 buildings are conceived from the same basic cell. The results show that the energetic consumption is inversely proportional to the compactness (weak shape coefficient) in case of cold severe and scarcely sunny winters. However, it can't be applied in case of mild climates, which leads to no recommendation of compactness. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.