Performance driven form finding methodology for energy efficient building design based on energy consumption optimization

In order to assess the influence of building morphology and orientation on operational energy consumption during the conceptual design stage, this study suggests a performance-driven form-finding process that combines parametric modeling, dynamic energy simulation, and evolutionary optimization. In order to separate geometry and orientation impacts, five common plan typologies square, rectangular, L-shaped, U-shaped, and H-shaped were methodically examined under constant floor-area conditions and rotated over a full 0–360° range. A genetic algorithm written in Grasshopper was used to find low-energy combinations and prevailing geometric trends, and EnergyPlus was used to assess annual energy use. The findings show that whereas elongated and articulated morphologies show higher energy demand and significant susceptibility to rotation, compact and geometrically symmetric shapes continuously achieve reduced annual energy consumption and exhibit remarkable robustness to orientation changes. According to quantitative study, wide and articulated forms often exceeded 132–135 units, with high-energy outliers topping 150 units, whereas compact forms’ median energy use clustered around 127–129 units. Performance was shown to be primarily influenced by façade arrangement; greater west-facing glazing was highly associated with higher cooling demand, although rotation angle alone had a relatively less impact. The predominance of form-mediated thermal behavior was confirmed by the fact that heating and cooling loads accounted for the majority of energy variation across all design choices. The suggested approach provides a clear and repeatable framework for energy-literate form decision-making by converting optimization results into interpretable geometric tendencies rather than isolated optima.