The paper summarizes the efforts of an elective design studio in which a parametric model was linked to detailed energy output data in order to provide accurate feedback about building performance throughout the entire process of design. Photovoltaic collection data was downloaded from the National Renewable Energy Laboratories (NREL) and linked directly to alternative configurations of designs produced in SolidWorks. Microsoft Excel provided the direct link between the model and data where students were able to augment the SolidWorks Excel output to include calculations that referenced the NREL data. The program from the 2009 Solar Decathlon competition served as the program for the investigation and provided a constraint-rich environment for developing parametric models. The class also utilized morphological analysis to identify 13 different forms to develop and analyze. The resulting parametric models and analysis provided a focused introduction to design methods, parametric modeling and solar energy design.

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