Impact of building morphology on energy efficiency in developing countries: a study of office buildings in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The design phase of a building plays a significant role in implementing energy-efficient practices. This study explores how building morphology factors influence the energy efficiency of office buildings in Sri Lanka, focusing both on embodied and operational energy. This study was steered via a qualitative approach, conducting a series of expert interviews with professionals in architecture, engineering, and construction. This study highlights the importance of adopting a morphologically sensitive design approach in the early design stages of office buildings. It was found that key morphological factors such as building shape, size, height, storey height, circulation space, wall-to-floor ratio, building orientation, and the envelope were critical to energy performance in office buildings. The study highlights that beyond selecting energy-efficient equipment or adopting renewable technologies, a paradigm shift towards considering energy efficiency through design philosophy could help yield better results in making energy-efficient buildings in the future. This study contributes new knowledge by being the first to explore how design morphology affects building energy performance, within a developing tropical context like Sri Lanka. Finally, it offers a new interpretation of the traditional saying “form follows function”, arguing that form should not only follow function, but also that “form follows energy”.