Humans, with their actions, are mainly responsible for changing the environment. Global warming, as a result of the greenhouse effect, and the climate change, with the extreme weather temperatures, are only some of the main consequences of the environmental crisis, that our planet is currently facing. Build environment plays also a significant role in the increase of global energy consumption. Buildings are responsible for 40% of global energy consumption and 30% of greenhouse gas emissions, making them a major contribution to environmental problems.

The scientific community, is constantly developing tools and focusing on new research in order to face the environmental disaster. Young architects and designers, to minimize the constructions energy footprint and in view of the importance of sustainable design, are increasingly oriented towards more environmentally friendly solutions.

Relying on new technologies, scientists are turning to contemporary computational tools when making decisions, both during and in the early stages of the design process. Designing is a multi-discipline process, with parameters relating to both morphological characteristics and environmental impact. Compared to manual and time-consuming design methods, computational tools offer the possibility of evaluating a large number of design alternatives, in a relatively short period of time. 

Thisresearch thesis, is a survey on whether design optimization and simulation tools can help architects find sustainable design solutions in the early stages of architectural design. The question whether the flexibility of these tools can contribute to the complex and multi-discipline design process, which requires the mixture of many different factors in finding the optimal design solution, is also being raised. 

For the purpose of the research, a simulation- optimization method was developed in order to evaluate the building form of a ground floor residence to minimize energy consumption. Experiments were carried out regarding the geometric and morphological characteristics of the study building in all four climatic zones of Greece, as defined by the Technical Guideline T.O.T.E.E. 20701-1/2017. The tools used for the research are based on the environment of 3D modelling program, Rhinoceros3D, combined with the computational environment of the graphical algorithmic editor Grasshopper. For the optimization, the Galapagos plug-in was used, combined with the Ladybug tools plug-in. The Energy Plus engine was also used for the energy simulation.