Basic building design does not require mechanical heating or cooling. Buildings that are passively designed take advantage of natural climate to maintain thermal comfort.

Incorporating the principles of basic building design in building:
• Significantly improves comfort
• Reduces or eliminates heating and cooling bills
• Reduces greenhouse gas emissions from heating, cooling, mechanical ventilation and lighting.

Building envelope is a term used to describe the roof, walls, windows, floors and internal walls of a building. In a tropical climate, the envelope should controls heat gain and exclusion of rainwater. Well-designed envelopes maximize cooling through air movement and exclude the solar radiation. The fundamental principles of basic building design are relatively simple and can be applied to various climate zones, house types and construction systems.