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While a lot of attention has been given in the study of indoor air distribution and its thermal performance, buildings clustered together in a development modify the outdoor environment to a great extent and the outdoor thermal performance of such a development is a critical factor for its success as to its acceptance by the tenants and visitors and their enjoyment of the outdoor activities.

The   first   energy   efficiency   law   for   Brazil   was presented in 2001, which required that buildings should have some energy efficiency regulation. Salvador city building code was then submitted to a study to include energy efficiency parameters related to the building envelope. The energy consumption limits were associated with the envelope parameters using simulation and using a multi-variable regression equation developed using simulation.

Building simulation programs normally do not take into account moisture effects in soils temperature determination. However, the presence of  humidity can strongly affect the temperature distribution in soils due especially to the evaporation/condensation mechanisms and the strong variation of their thermophysical properties.In order to calculate the temperature profiles in  a more accurate way, we have developed the software Solum, which was conceived to model the coupled heat and moisture transfer in soils.

Building energy analysis are very sensitive to external convection heat transfer coefficients so that some researchers have made sensitivity calculations and proved that depending on the choice of convective heat transfer coefficient values, energy demands estimation values can vary from 20 to 40%. In this context, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) program has been used to predict external convective heat transfer coefficients at external building surfaces.

APOLUX 1.0 is a computer code specifically developed for assisting the architect regarding daylighting considerations; it runs in a threedimensional graphic environment, accepts files from graphic editors and uses models physically consistent for data treatment. It was developed aiming its integration to the architect's design praxis.

Dedicated outdoor air systems (DOAS) have been proposed to treat the outdoor air before it enters the building and thus reduce the load on the zone equipment. This paper presents a study of different DOAS configurations and their energy and power consumptions for multiple climates of the United States. Based on the simulation results, the DOAS showed promise in reducing energy consumption relative to the baseline system in the office building in all climates studied.

The Haima is a non air-conditioned 16,000 m2  tent designed to house fifteen exhibitions about conditions for peace, viewed as solutions to economic, cultural and environmental conflict, during the Barcelona Forum 2004. The Haima is composed of several tents connected to each other’s and to the exterior environment through large openings. The whole structure is placed on the middle of a large square, next to the Mediterranean Sea. 

In early 1980s, Tsinghua University has started to develop a new building simulation tool with the aims to benefit for teaching, research and practical use of HVAC related applications in China. With the concept of “base temperature” of a space, it provides a handy link between thermal behaviour of buildings and dynamic performance of HVAC systems. It emphases on finding the predicted ideal performance of a system and compare with the user selected design conditions of a space, ie the degree of satisfaction, rather than go straight to find the size and capacity of the system.

Radiant cooling systems for thermal comfort in commercial buildings are new to North America. The University of Calgary’s ICT Building has a hybrid radiant slab-mixed air system that offers an opportunity to evaluate operating performance. Through integrated field measurements and building simulation with EnergyPlus, it was found that the building energy performance could be improved by reducing conflicts between systems, especially simultaneous heating and cooling.

Accurate assessment of both surface and interstitial condensation risk at the design stage of buildings is of great importance - not just to minimise the damaging effects moisture can cause to building envelopes, but also to contribute to the provision of adequate indoor air quality. Guidance certainly does exist with regards to limiting thermal bridging in order to prevent condensation occurring on new constructions.