In the contemporary context of building for sustainability, architects are faced with a major challenge of reconciling a vast range of human requirements within a successful design that has to answer ecological constraints. Within the overall framework of promoting linkages between the engineering and design fields, this talk will discuss new approaches in research and education that are being developed to better integrate building performance considerations in the architectural design process. Daylighting is chosen as a strategic focus for this effort, being inherent to architectural design and one of the main drivers of a building's technical performance and resulting human comfort and health.