Mechanical cooling is increasingly used in office buildings in France. Nevertheless, in many cases, it is possible to achieve a thermally comfortable environment by passive means and the use of low-energy techniques. As these parameters have to be taken into account at the early stages of building design, there is a need for simple tools that give guidance to the designer very early in the design process. In the later design stages, more detailed tools are also needed to improve the design. The work presented here is based on two kinds of tools: (1) a reference calculation method that predicts the indoor temperature profile for a reference warm day, with emphasis on description and control of the air-handling plant, and (2) a predesign guidance document that makes it possible in most common cases to define the required buildings and air unit characteristics to achieve a given comfort level.

Units: SI