Team
Luca Baldini
Principal Investigator
Konrad Graser
Project Manager
Evan Pantazis
Senior Researcher
David Jenny
Senior Researcher
An Early Design Stage configurator that allows you to quickly evaluate how different design parameters impact the energy performance of a building
Try the Tool
Explore building configurations and their energy performance in real-time.
For full functionality and a dashboard go to the:
EDI app
Load a .csv file with your exported design options and a corresponding image for each alternative. The file should be structured in specific way that is described here. For more details on how to use the explorer and how to structure your data, check the instructions. You can export the data from the ShapeDiver EDI app by using the "Export design options" button in the top right menu. You can find a sample dataset that you can load to test the explorer in this folder. or in the GitHub repository of the project under assets/EDI_sample_output/EDI_explorer_SampleExport_2 Load both the .csv and the images, brush the parallel-coordinates plot to filter results, and click on a thumbnail to inspect the details of each design option.
This tool has been developed by the Institute for Building Technology and Process (IBP) at The School of Architecture, Design and Civil Engineering of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) as part of the project «Nationale Lehr- und Lernplattform zur Stärkung der ökologischen Nachhaltigkeit in der Architektur» (SH/8100396-02-02-46), financially supported by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE).
EDI is part of the Integrated Design Atlas (IDA.ch), a multilingual digital platform dedicated to teaching and learning about ecologically and socially sustainable architecture. Initiated by nine leading Swiss architecture schools and the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects (SIA), IDA promotes an integrated design approach rooted in climate-conscious building practices. The objective of the tool is to create a hands-on and easily accessible learning environment for architects, students, and educators alike.
The calculation for annual space heating demand is using the geometry of the building and is based on calculation methods defined in the SIA380_1_2016 standard. The results provided currently by this tool are for educational purposes only and should not be used for official energy certification or compliance assessments.
The cost calculation is still under development and it based on basic quantity take offs from the generated geometry (i.e. Gross floor Areas. glazing area, roof area etc) and the default values for the cost benchmarks are loosely based on Swiss construction cost data as of 2025.
Principal Investigator
Project Manager
Senior Researcher
Senior Researcher