Course syllabus

Welcome to Introduction to Bio-Climatic Design

This course explores one of the most fundamental questions in the design of buildings and the built environment: how can we create spaces that respond to the climate while supporting human comfort and well-being?

We often think of buildings as objects that protect us from the outdoor environment. Walls, roofs, windows and technical systems help us maintain comfortable indoor conditions, regardless of whether it is cold, warm, windy or sunny outside. However, every building is also part of an ongoing relationship between climate, people and design.

The local climate influences both how we experience a place and how buildings perform. At the same time, the design of a building affects how we experience temperature, sunlight, air movement and humidity. Human comfort is therefore not simply a technical problem with one correct answer. Rather, it emerges through the interaction between the physical environment, the characteristics of the building and the people who inhabit it.

This relationship lies at the heart of bio-climatic design. Throughout the course, you will explore the relationship between climate, people and design, and consider how these dimensions interact. This relationship is becoming increasingly important as we face the combined challenges of climate change, energy use and the need to create healthy and comfortable living environments.

Course Syllabus		Contact information
Reading List		Mikael Andersson Course Coordinator mia@du.se
		Tomas Persson Teacher tpe@du.se
		Jingchun Shen Teacher jih@du.se
		Alaa Khadra Teacher akd@du.se
		Jonn Are Myhren Teacher jam@du.se
		Sarah Ramsay Teacher (Presentation Technique) sbr@du.se