Sustainability Course | Introduction to Sustainable Architecture
You'll learn how to analyse site conditions to make informed decisions on orientation, massing, glazing, and solar shading—all of which influence a building's energy performance and sustainability. Additionally, the course covers essential topics such as sustainable material selection, natural ventilation strategies, energy efficiency, renewable energy integration, and water reuse.
- 4+ hours of premium content
- 10 step-by-step video lessons
- Future updates included
About this course
With expert-led guidance on sustainable design tools and evaluation techniques, participants will gain hands-on insights into reducing a building's carbon footprint from the ground up. Through practical lessons and digital tools, this course prepares architects to meet growing demands for green building solutions that align with global climate goals.
This comprehensive sustainability course develops your expertise in climate-responsive design through systematic analysis of site conditions, building orientation, and environmental performance optimization. You'll learn to integrate sustainable principles from early design phases while maintaining architectural quality and spatial experience that satisfies both environmental and human needs.
The curriculum emphasizes practical application of passive design strategies including natural ventilation, daylight optimization, and thermal comfort management using contemporary digital tools. You'll develop skills in sustainable material selection, renewable energy integration, and water conservation strategies that reduce building environmental impact while enhancing performance.
Advanced sustainability techniques include performance evaluation methodologies, embodied energy analysis, and comprehensive environmental assessment using tools like Enscape Impact and BREEAM frameworks. The course covers both technical sustainability knowledge and design integration strategies that create compelling sustainable architecture.
These sustainability skills position you to meet growing client demands for environmentally responsible design while satisfying increasingly stringent regulatory requirements. The techniques learned apply to all building types where sustainable performance, climate resilience, and environmental stewardship are essential for contemporary architectural practice and long-term building success.
What will you learn?
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This course will turn you into:
A sustainable design strategist
Master comprehensive approaches to sustainable architecture that integrate environmental performance with design quality. Learn to analyze site conditions, optimize building orientation, and make informed decisions about massing and glazing that enhance both energy performance and spatial experience.
An environmental performance specialist
Develop expertise in passive design strategies including natural ventilation, daylight optimization, and thermal comfort management. Learn to use digital tools and simulation software to evaluate and refine environmental performance throughout the design process.
A climate-responsive architect
Gain skills in designing buildings that respond intelligently to local climate conditions while meeting contemporary sustainability standards. Learn to integrate renewable energy systems, sustainable materials, and water conservation strategies into compelling architectural designs.
Syllabus
We start by introducing sustainable architectural design and its broad definition, focusing on integrating sustainability in the earliest design phases, specifically RIBA Stages 0-2. The lesson emphasises the importance of embedding sustainable principles early.
Here, we dive into the essentials of site analysis, focusing not only on gathering data (like sun path, wind, and noise) but also on how to apply this information effectively in sustainable design.
Lesson 3 explores software to analyse massing options, highlighting how digital tools like Enscape Impact can shape sustainable design. It shows how to handle surrounding structures in the model, ensuring accurate energy calculations and contextual considerations.
At the start of chapter 2 we begin developing the building design with an eye on maximising daylight & sunlight, whilst controlling solar gain, focusing on the critical role of orientation relative to the sun.
Lesson 5 tackles the complex task of selecting sustainable materials, emphasising the challenges posed by varying information on embodied energy and material biases.
Here, we illustrate how ventilation impacts both cooling and heating. Using key resources, this lesson breaks down passive methods for effective airflow, enhancing indoor comfort sustainably.
Lesson 7 covers energy efficiency and renewable energy integration, exploring ways to generate power that supports or fully powers buildings sustainably.
Lesson 8 explores sustainable water use, focusing on techniques to capture, reuse, and recycle water to enhance building sustainability and reduce carbon impact.
In the penultimate lesson we discuss evaluating sustainable design performance, shifting from theoretical assumptions to measurable outcomes.
We wrap up the course with a recap of key sustainable design principles and explore emerging trends in the field, such as smart buildings & digital twins.
Meet your instructor
Adam Morgan
Architectural Director
ThreeForm Architects
Hi, I'm Adam. I am the founder and director of ThreeForm Architects, a team of architects and artists in Liverpool, UK. The office is experienced in a wide range of building types and procurement routes, successfully winning projects with contract values of up to £20 million. We work for a broad spectrum of public and private sector clients across the country.
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