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This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. Highlights • A new hybrid evolutionary computation methodology and mathematical model are presented. • The algorithm is tested in its validation and performance. • The proposed technique generates floor plans to be used in the early architectural design stage.

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Contrarily to what happens in northern European countries, buildings in the Mediterranean region are prone to overheating. Consequently, it is important to better understand the role of thermal transmittance of the building envelope elements in the airconditioning consumptions. This paper analyzes the effect of different U-values on the building design in the Mediterranean area. 192 000 residential buildings were randomly generated and the energy consumption assessed for sixteen distinct locations. It was found that, in northern Mediterranean locations, as U-values decrease, the energy consumption also decreases. However, in warmer climates, low thermal transmittances tend to significantly increase the energy consumption. Hence, the lower the latitude, the higher the most adequate U-values, due to the increase of the cooling demands. Additionally, geometry-based indexes were correlated with the buildings energy performance. For high U-values it was found that bigger buildings worsen the energy performance and larger windows tend to improve it. For low U-values, bigger North-faced windows are beneficial. There is an adequate interval of values for which the geometry has a lower impact, which is wider and higher for lower latitudes, thus meaning that not only the building performance improves but architects are also freer to explore alternative designs.