The aim of the study is to observe the impact of applying smart buildings’ solutions and technologies to the design process and the potential of using Energy Performance Assessment (EPA) tools in an architectural design studio in higher education institutions. The study blends two methods to address the aim: the theoretical method to diagnose the characteristics of smart building solutions and their juxtaposition with architectural education practices worldwide, then a case study method to investigate the smart solutions applications within a course in the architectural programme at Cairo University, namely the Applied Group Project of students of ‘Smart Building’ Course of Senior 1 students of the Architectural Engineering and Technology (AET) programme at the Faculty of Engineering, the spring semester 2023. Smart solutions and technologies were integrated into 19 groups (82 students) after building learning and knowledge over 14 weeks of teaching and learning and eight weeks of hands-on projects. The impact on the design process has already been successfully delivered in the past year within the Smart Building course, ARCN 303. The students’ outcomes were presented and evaluated, which showed that integrating energy performance assessment (EPA) tools in architectural design education improves students’ ability to consider environmental factors in their design process, as well as smart solutions and technologies, mainly renewable energy (RE), to generate clean energy for their projects, as well as mitigating CO2 emissions in these projects up to 50% and attaining SDGs 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, and 13. This study can serve as a guide for future research and implementation of such tools in the design studio pedagogy to develop smart cities and reach Net Zero by 2050, especially amid the global decarbonisation acceleration effort to reach Net Zero by 2025, where achieving Net Zero emissions from the energy sector by 2050 lies in the ability of the world to triple RE capacity by 2030.