we live in a permanent state of awareness of the rapid changing conditions of our climates. the capitalist dream of endless economic growth based on the exploitation of territories that allowed for the modernization of western countries is obsolete, yet we already know that. our society is irreversibly moving towards an era with less energy and resources available. the scarcity, together with the scientific and political unanimity around climate change, makes clear the need for changing the current energy model apparatus.

this ideological shift affects directly to the way we build our environment and consequently, the architectural discourse within this context. the need for new narratives and approaches that deal with this lack of energy and the different regional climatic conditions is inherently related to the role of architects in response to this global situation. it is therefore relevant to know what set of principles, systems, mechanisms, and processes can be applied to this new energy situation so to establish a new framework where to define new architectural actions.

however, this change of paradigm is not new in recent modern history. the energy crisis of 1973 is an example that helps to understand this current situation. the cut-off of fossil energy supply due to political dispute triggered the possibility of a change in the energy model. previously, in 1963 the first book exploring the impact of climate on shelter design was published by princeton university press in the united states. victor olgyay called the book design with climate: bioclimatic approach to architectural regionalism, almost as retroactive manifesto for our times. the book identified the different climatic regions of the globe and framed a series of principles related to orientation, air movement, site, and materials. this book is an outcome of a three week research residency at HDA graz with the support of LINA platform and the creative europe EU.