Ecology of Energy

A decent book that gives you a global perspective on energy issue by a Cambridge physicist David MacKay
http://www.withouthotair.com/

Although there're some errors in his assumptions regarding the energy consumption of buildings. A more complete picture can be found here with the U.S. Department of Energy issued Building Energy Databook.
http://buildingsdatabook.eren.doe.gov/Default.aspx

Grasshopper Resources

For dealing with solar geometry and component population and many more!
www.tedngai.net


The definitive Intro to Grasshopper 3D by Andrew Payne and Rajaa Issa
http://www.liftarchitects.com/


Another good source of general information is by Zubin M Khabazi
http://download.mcneel.com/s3/mcneel/grasshopper/1.0/docs/en/Generative%20Algorithms.pdf


Once you get past the intro, I suggest to look at the following documents for more advanced usage.


Essential Mathematics 2nd Edition by Rajaa Issa
http://download.rhino3d.com/en/Rhino/4.0/EssentialMathematicsSecondEdition/


Connected Holes by Lars Renklint 
http://blog.rhino3d.com/2009/03/connected-holes-in-grasshopper.html


Grasshopper workshops at Cornell architecture by Woo Jae Sung
http://woojsung.com/

Workshop Description

The parametric workshop engages the problems raised by our rapid pace of urbanization and the ecological impact of our built environment, using two main drivers: the evolving of digital technologies, and the growing of ecological awareness.

Digital technology plays a critical role in acknowledging change and difference in the way we design, build and live architecture. Ecological awareness, on the other hand, requires one to observe and understand the behavioral tendencies of our natural and built systems. The use of parametric design software in this context will enable designers to use design not only as an organizational device serving semiotic, pragmatic and aesthetic functions, but also as a regulator of the internal and external environments, managing bioclimatic flows to maintain homeostasis through intelligent morphologies.

In this framework, the workshop program will develop a Physiological Skin, a concept that explores the “envelope” as a mean to capture, transform, store and distribute various energetic flows to maintain a stable internal environment appropriate for housing in the city of Torino.

The Physiological Skin will not only take on the bioclimatic exchange as its main design challenge, the aesthetic vision as it situates in the historical Italian neighborhood, the Renaissance and Baroque, times of new discoveries and new aesthetics, will also be a main criteria for the successful development of the project.