Designing Energy Demand: An Integrated Architecture–Energy Framework for Off-Grid Residential Housing
Currently under review with Energy and Buildings, this research investigates how architectural design decisions directly influence the performance, reliability, and cost of off-grid energy systems. Through the development and testing of the Architecture–Energy Integration Framework (AEIF), the study demonstrates that energy demand should be treated as a design-dependent variable rather than a fixed input. Using a real-world off-grid home in regional New South Wales as a case study, the research links passive design strategies, spatial planning, solar modelling, and energy system optimisation within a unified workflow. The findings show that integrating architectural design with energy-system modelling can reduce battery storage requirements by 18.6% and overall system costs by approximately 15% while maintaining high system reliability.
Best Paper Award: International Conference on Sustainable Energy Engineering
Awarded Best Paper at the International Conference on Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering (ICSEE 2026), this research presents an architect-led framework for integrating building design and autonomous energy systems in off-grid housing. Using a completed off-grid home in regional New South Wales as a case study, the paper introduces a structured “Synergy Loop” that links architectural design decisions with energy modelling, system sizing, cost optimisation, and performance validation.
Towards More Liveable and Sustainable Communities: A Co-Design Strategy for Off-Grid Housing
At the AMPS Livable Cities Conference in Manchester Jena Glover, PhD candidate, Griffith University, presented research that explores how co-design approaches can improve the planning, performance, and long-term success of off-grid housing. The presentation examines the intersection of community participation, architectural design, energy systems, and user behaviour, arguing that successful autonomous housing requires more than technical optimisation alone. By drawing on contemporary co-design theory and emerging off-grid housing research, the study proposes a collaborative framework that brings homeowners, designers, and stakeholders together throughout the design process.
Bridging Design and Energy Systems: An Integrated Framework for Architectural Agency in Off-Grid Housing
Recent research by Jena Glover, PhD candidate with Griffith University, was published in Applied Energy. This research presents a comprehensive review of 97 international studies examining the future of off-grid and autonomous housing. The paper identifies a critical gap in current research and practice: while energy systems, building performance, occupant behaviour, and policy are often studied independently, they are rarely considered as an integrated whole.