Today one of the topical issues in Latvia relates to the compliance of the architectural practice with the modern concept of sustainable development. Although the beginning of the first decade of the 21st century introduced positive ideas promoting energy efficient architecture in Latvia, the worldwide experience has shown that despite the importance of environmental ideas in designing, their introduction and implementation in practice often encounter problems. This article addresses a number of factors that should be taken into account introducing changes to the current practice of architectural design in line with the modern principles of sustainable development and bioclimatic design.