1. Human Thermal Comfort /Building Site Location

2. Human Comfort
Energy-efficient buildings are only effective when the occupants are comfortable
If not they will take alternative means to heating/cooling the space
Space heaters, window mounted air conditioners
Could be substantially worse than typical heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC)

3. Thermal Comfort Difficult to measure since it is so subjective
Depends on air temp, humidity, radiant temp, air speeds, activity rate, clothing
Temp of the skin is not uniform on all areas of the body
Variations which reflect the variations in blood flow and subcutaneous fat
Insulative quality of clothing has an effect as well
Sensation from any particular part will depend on time, location, clothing and temp of surroundings

4. Building Site Location
Whether or not a building is net zero energy, part of its sustainability is related to its land use
Converting wild lands/farmlands into building sites is unsustainable
Lots of land near or in cities that can be redeveloped

5. Greenfield/Greyfield/Brownfield
Sites that have not been built on before are greenfield sites
Best left unbuilt
Impact to these sites can be mitigated by having a small building/hardscape footprint, and covering the buildings or hardscape with vegetated roofs, especially local native plant species

6. Greenfield/Greyfield/Brownfield
Sites that have been built on are greyfeild
Building on these lands avoids destruction of wild lands/farmlands
Benefits them, make neighborhoods more vibrant, walkable and cost effective to provide transport to
Polluted sites from development or industry are called brownfield sites
Try to clean these up and redevelop them

7. Site Accessibility
Along with building energy being one of the biggest sources of pollution, cars are another huge source
Choose a site that is easily accessible by foot, bicycle or public transit to reduce the impact

8. Site Surroundings Can change the effective weather patters
Nearby buildings or trees can block sunlight and/or change wind patters
Take into account surrounding buildings
How the affect your design
What passive strategies to rely on

9. Right to Light and Solar Envelopes
Important when building in urban environments
Zoning requirements may be in place to preserve solar access
Too dense or tall buildings will limit access to daylighting and solar radiation
Solar envelop regulates the development within imaginary boundaries
Helps so you do not overshadow the surroundings

10. Daylighting Envelope
Greatest volume you can build on the site while still giving the neighboring building access to daylight
Based on the entire sky dome and assume an overcast sky

11. Wind
Other buildings and surroundings can also block access to the wind
On the other hand you may find a site that gets too much wind
Use vegetation to block the wind
Place vegetative sheltering 3 – 4x the height of the building from the building
Provides wind shelter but allows solar radiation access