  Building practitioners (architects, engineers, energy managers) are showing a
growing interest in the design of more energy efficient and livable buildings.
The best way to predict how a building will behave regarding energy consumption
and thermal comfort is to use a dynamic simulation tool. However, the use of
this kind of tools is difficult on a daily basis practice due to the heuristic
and exploratory nature of the architectural design process. To deal with this
difficulty, the University of Coimbra and three companies have been working on
the development of a prototype design aiding tool, specifically devoted to the
space planning phase of building design, under the project GerAPlanO (Automatic
Generation of Architecture Floor plans with Energy Optimization). This project
aims to combine the capabilities of design generation techniques, thermal
assessment programs, and design optimization methods to provide assistance to
decision makers. This paper presents the overall concept, as well as the
current status of development of this tool.
