This paper presents a framework for integrated executable architectures, which is the integration of architecture modelling tools and simulation tools. This framework allows the use of executable architectures during the conceptual analysis and design phases in order to address system complexity at an early stage of the development. The proposed concept of integrated executable architecture enables a dynamic combination of the formerly separated and static areas of business processes, system design and resource modelling. It provides time-based, dynamic visualisation of system behaviour by combining business process simulation, system simulation and synthetic environments. This allows an early understanding of emergent behaviour, time-dependent behaviour and performance estimation of the architecture.