With more people flocking to cities, the energy requirements of cities due to structures will skyrocket in the future. Buildings play an essential role in making human settlements productive, efficient, liveable, and sustainable. No city can be smart and sustainable unless it has a constructed environment that is carbon neutral, energy efficient, and resource-efficient.

Thus, building as a sector would necessitate thorough scrutiny and monitoring in order to impact the broader economy in terms of energy use and to make cities resource efficient and sustainable.

Consultants for VMS proceed with an integrated approach to building design to focus mostly around: rationalizing site planning; optimizing building shape and size; and evolving sustainable constructed form.

• optimizing the surface-to-volume ratio
• encouraging construction efficiency;
• creating an energy-efficient building envelope;
• reducing the ratio of the building’s length and depth;
• adopting solar passive approaches; making buildings structurally light and cost-effective;
• controlling lighting, heating, and ventilation; utilizing solar energy; and optimizing landscaping, among other things.

Suggested Principles for Site Planning;

Considering the major implications of site planning in the context of making architectural projects sustainable, cost-effective, rational, supportive, and adding value to the existing quality of environment, ecology, and local bio-diversity, broad principles governing the site planning process must be defined and detailed to serve as a guide to all architects while planning the sites of their projects. These principles should be centred on;