Integrating energy and wind performance reasoning in urban form type design for an educational district in Singapore

Climate emergency urges the reduction of CO2 emissions. Energy is the major contributor to climate change, and the building sector accounts for a large share of rising global energy consumption. Previous research has shown a strong interplay between urban form and energy consumption. The transition towards net-zero cities is challenged by the space required for renewable energy production, especially in a dense urban context such as Singapore. This study investigates the relationships between the urban morphology characteristics and the energy performance of educational districts in the tropical climate of Singapore, using simulation-based parametric geometric modelling as a method. We based morphological properties on an analysis of existing educational urban quarters in Singapore and related literature on energy-driven urban design in tropical climates. Based on that, a parametric model for a new hybrid typology was created to evaluate different configurations of it using urban energy and wind simulations to inform the design process. The scenario with the best performance was developed further and applied to a case study site in Singapore. The findings of this study could inform planning processes where design decisions can influence, or are driven by, energy performance and energy-driven design concepts.