Even if the potential of environmental design to cause morphogenesis has been recognised widely, it remains so far unexplored because its main principles – related to building’s physics – are open to many architectural translations. Up to now the environmental input in architecture is limited in most of the cases to passive optimised strategies applied in their technical dimension rather than in their design implications. Therefore, this research was set to investigate the potential of environmental design, and more specifically the context of solar control and daylight relation, from a morphogenetic point of view. More specifically, through the exploration of parameters that affect this relation, the study produced performance thresholds in geometrical terms that can be applied as the environmental input for form generation in a digital design platform. The outcome of the research is the critical point of morphogenetic strategies and environmental input, contextualised in a reference case of office self-shaded forms in London climate (latitude= 51.5, longitude=-0.1). In practice, this becomes a useful guide of the design process for environmental driven forms’ generation.

Over the last few years, population growth in London has created an imperative need for increasing housing supply. At the same time household structure is radically changing with one-person dwellings accounting for a large proportion of the demand. Terraced housing has provided satisfactory living conditions for many years and still defines much of the city’s housing stock. However, current social trends and the need for energy efficiency require a critical review of the dwelling type. This project aims to transfer the principles of the terrace type to a proposal for a new housing scheme. Meeting the housing needs of the changing population through environmentally responsive design is the main objective.