This study is a part of a comprehensive study that aims to investigate the impact of school building form on energy consumption. The methodology included two parts: in part one the study conducted a survey that covered all schools under Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) authority; in addition to performing a design model analysis that helped identify the possible form design variables that can impact the building performance with their value ranges. Part two the study performed an hour-by-hour computer simulation to test the impact of different building form variables on energy consumption. The simulation was carried out in two phases, Phase I covered the investigation of the existing design models obtained from ADEK without any manipulation of the form variables. While Phase II covered a broader range of cases under more controlled conditions. The investigation was based on Abu Dhabi climatic conditions with respect to ADEK school requirements and Estidama green building guidelines. The simulation results revealed the effect of each design variable of the school building form on energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The most important outcome of the study is the establishment of two concepts to evaluate the behavior of building form in influencing energy performance; i.e., form verticality and horizontality
