The thermal characteristics of a cavity in a double skin facade (DSF) may vary according to the design of the DSF, since the DSF layers are generally fully glazed. Such thermal characteristics of the cavity influence the thermal load in adjacent air conditioned zones. Thus, the purpose of this study is to quantitatively analyze the impact of the initial DSF design, regarding window glazing type and cavity depth, on the energy consumption of adjacent conditioned zones. To this end, parametric and optimization studies on the DSF design were conducted based on a validation model. In the parametric study, the largest variation of energy consumption was the case when the window glazing type on the outside surface of the inner layer changes. Also, energy consumption decreased when the cavity depth of the DSF decreased. Finally, the model in which the optimal DSF design is applied resulted in a 5.62% reduction in energy consumption. These results suggest the significance of the initial DSF design on the thermal load of the adjacent conditioned zones. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.