The Integrated Design Studio as a Means to Achieve Zero Net Energy Buildings

The chapter describes the authors’ view on how to create an effective educational environment that inspires architectural students to design a sustainable architecture with a special focus on zero net energy (ZNE) building design. Such an environment is known as the integrated design studio (IDS). It is meant to train students in an environment that imitates closely the actual process that takes place in the practice of building design. The main educational challenge is how to prepare the student to become proficient in a highly engaged comprehensive design process that integrates creative architectural thinking with technical design of building energy and environmental systems, structural system, construction system, and building materials. This challenge becomes much harder when all these requirements are applied in the design of a complex multifunction ZNE building located under the extreme hot climate conditions of Dubai, UAE. The established model by the authors, which is believed to have high potentials in improving architectural design education, is demonstrated in this chapter by a real case of students’ project that won the third prize of the reputable international MultiComfort House Student Contest, Edition 2018, by Saint Gobain.