MODUL ENERGY DESIGN
LV 159.781 SE Energy Design
LV 159.782 UE Energy Design
Summer Semester 2026
SUSTAINABLE SLEEP AND ARCHITECTURE
Sleep is an activity that occupies nearly a third of human life. Sleep accounts for a large share of residential building emissions—about one-third of housing’s operational and embodied carbon and 8% of global CO₂. With extensive existing floor area and ongoing new construction, reducing these impacts is a critical challenge and a key role for architecture.
This semester, the course Energy Design focuses on Sustainable Sleep and Architecture. We explore the question: how can architecture contribute to reducing sleep-related carbon emissions by rethinking this essential human activity and the role of architecture in supporting it? The course emphasizes the environmental qualities of sleeping areas—including acoustic, air quality, thermal, and visual aspects—as well as energy-related considerations, which strongly influence spatial organization and overall comfort.
The task is to develop new floor plan configurations by rethinking the function of sleep. Students will work with a given typical floor plan of a proposed high-rise residential building in Berlin, configuring both new apartment layouts and façades The overarching goal of the course is to develop new typologies for apartment layouts that maximize comfort and provide a high-quality living environment, while integrating energy efficiency, and user adaptability aiming to reduce future sleep related CO₂ emissions.