“For the method of building which is suited to Egypt would be very improper in Spain, and that in use in Pontus would be absurd at Rome: so in other parts of the world a style suitable to one climate, would be very unsuitable to another.”

Vitruvius, Rome, First century BC; Ten books on Architecture; Book VI

Running energy is the energy used to run and maintain a building day to day.
The bulk of everyday running energy use is distributed across cooling, water heating, cooking and light, respectively using 30%, 30%, 10% and 5%.

Buildings are the world’s greatest consumers of energy, and one of the greatest emitters of greenhouse gases, responsible for between 30 to 50% of global energy consumption and emission. There is ample opportunity for energy savings by incorporating important local geography and climate into building designs. Indeed, before the emergence of global trends in building forms, vernacular architecture was the benchmark for well-adapted design. A focus of green architecture is to incorporate the indigenous wisdom of vernacular design into forms that can accommodate modern tastes and lifestyles.

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