PR2002

DayMedia and MulCom are multimedia teaching packages targeted at architects and building engineers, as well as students. While DayMedia is concerned with daylighting in architecture, MulCom covers human comfort and the energy performance of buildings. Most of the content is related to thermal comfort, although acoustics and visual comfort are covered as well. The development of the packages has part-funded by the European Commission and coordinated by the Low Energy Architecture Research Unit (LEARN) of the University of North London.

PASLINK is the grouping of 14 European research institutes involved in the performance assessment of the thermal and solar characteristics of building components under real climate conditions. Most of the members are performing semi-standardised tests using the PASSYS/PASLINK test cells. IQ-TEST is the European thematic network project aiming at further developing common quality procedures for testing, calibration, data gathering, cleaning and analysis, interpretation of test results and scaling/replication to real buildings, maintenance of test infrastructure.

Spectral radiative properties of panel glass and coatings are measured, like transmittance and reflectance. The coating influence on the panel behavior is presented. Material properties like index of refraction and the absorption coefficient are determined. Such determination takes place in the visible and near infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The property determination is performed with transmittances and reflectances measurements in different wavelengths from 400 to 4000 nanometers. Total visible and solar transmittance is calculated, based on these data.

Solar shading devices can significantly improve thermal comfort and reduce cooling loads and potential glare problems in highly glazed buildings. This paper describes results from an extensive measurement program that started in 1997, covering external shading devices, products placed between two panes (interpane), and internal shading devices. Measurements of the total solar energy transmittance (g-value) have been performed using a double hot-box arrangement placed in a real climate.

This work is based on an extended research from a doctorate thesis developed in a partnership between Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) in Brazil and INSA of Lyon, Thermal Centre of Lyon, Building Physics Team (CETHIL/ETB) in France. The purpose is to examine the envelope building design considering the outside microclimate to achieve a comfortable indoor climate. The context of exterior climatic features and site location are considered, taking in account an indoor discomfort sequence over a typical warm season.

In this paper we present a procedure to test software ability to describe daylight sources. The method will be applied to Lightscape release 3.2 [1]. The results have been achieved independently from the software developers comparing software results with analytical solutions. The tests deal with: a) definition of the algorithms used to represents different skies; b) influence of sun position; c) ground reflection management. Finally suggestions on how to use Lightscape in your daylight design are given.

In this paper, we use the validation test cases initialized within the subtask C, "Daylight design tools", of IEA SHC Task 21, "Daylight in buildings" to assess the accuracy of a commercial lighting software, Lightscape 3.2. We first analyzed the applicability and the limitations of the IEA 21 test cases, and we concluded some directives for validation test cases in order to guaranty its applicability to assess any lighting software.

Various types of double façades can be distinguished. In earlier work a simple simulation model for the energy performance of double facades is developed. In this paper the problem of modelling a half-open sunshade between sheets is discussed. An extensiv

Together with the definition of innovative plant and envelope technological solutions for buildings, many simulation tools (models) have been developed to make the design choices easier. However the definition of analytical structures able to describe the characteristics of building components installed under real conditions is still difficult. The paper presents some experiences made by ITC. They have been carried out by using System Identification techniques to simulate and predict the performances of various components analysed also through experimental campaigns under real conditions.