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This paper describes an experimental study about thermal performance of different glazing materials in prototypes. In Brazil, due to its low latitudes and predominantly hot and humid climate, high solar radiation provokes strong heat gain in almost all the regions of the country. The worst building exposure conditions are on north and west faades. In previous work, the transmissivity to solar radiation for the more frequently used window glasses in buildings in Brazil was obtained through spectrophotometric analyses.

Cultivation of crops such as tomatoes or lettuce in a modern hydroponic growing system reduces water consumption, requires no soil, doubles the growth rate, and enables year-round production. The product is healthier than field agriculture, because pesticide use is often unnecessary, and contamination from soil or airborne pathogens is nearly eliminated. On Mediterranean islands, high import costs, poor soils, and limited water supplies further favor hydroponic vegetable production. Effective hydroponic cultivation requires intensive regulation of the greenhouse environment.

influenced by various factors, such as the type of use (offices, residences, etc.), shape, placement, building materials, meteorological conditions etc. In this work, the heating demands of spaces, which are located in central and surrounding areas of the city of Patras, are examined. For this purpose, a set of 10 data loggers, have been placed, in chosen characteristic locations, to monitor ambient air temperature variations. The collected data serve to calculate the heating degree hours and results are obtained and presented.

The Sino-Italy Environment & Energy Building (SIEEB) is regarded as a platform to develop the bilateral long-term cooperation between Italy and China in the environment and energy fields, and a model case for showing the CO2 emission reduction potential in the building sector in China. In the present study, by means of computer simulations, the interaction between natural and artificial light and the related illumination conditions expected in the SIEEB offices have been analysed.

Sustainable and ecological are becoming fashionable words for advertising products: ecological car, ecological food, ecological bag, even ecological fuel. To claim that a product is sustainable or ecological helps to sell it. This trend applies also to buildings, and sustainable architecture and sustainable design is becoming a fashionable wording. Sustainable architecture has been, for decades, a small cultural niche ignored, sometimes ridiculed, by the official architectural culture, with very few exceptions.

REVIVAL is an energy demonstration project supported by the European Commission under the THERMIE programme. There are six demonstration sites in five EU countries. Ventilation and cooling of non-domestic buildings, even in northern Europe, is one of the main issues and REVIVAL contains both naturally and mechanically ventilated and cooled buildings. It also has a strong emphasis on architecturally important buildings and how changes can be made without damaging the appearance.

Decisions in the first stage of the design process have to respond to often discordant requirements of quantitative reliability and operational effectiveness and have to be pursued with a systemic, environmental approach. One of the most typical cases in which the necessities of balance between distinct objectives and adoption of a systemic vision become more evident is that of the rehabilitation of building envelopes, which requires a complex kind of evaluation between costs and benefits.

This paper shows the building of the Intelligent Energy Research Center - CPEI, built at the Federal Center of Technological Education of Minas Gerais (CEFET-MG). This center was conceived with many strategies of bioclimatic architecture in a way to minimize the energy consumption besides improving the thermal gain and luminous comfort. To achieve this purpose many procedures were taken since the beginning of the design stage. The architecture solution is very important to improve the thermal and luminous performance.

This paper focuses on the effect of water sprinkling on the fluctuation of the surface temperatures of materials, which are widely used in the urban open spaces of Greek cities, and are exposed to solar radiation. The assessment is based on experimental measurements, which were conducted during the summer period of 2004 on samples of building materials. The materials were placed on a flat roof and were periodically sprinkled with water.

Climate of the Po Valley, in northern Italy, typically is hot humid during summer and cold during winter. In such region new house constructions are often defective in dealing, by passive means, with solar radiation and outdoor temperatures, the majority of new buildings is designed with light envelope, and no care is taken over many issues like solar control, albedo of external surfaces, natural ventilation strategies. The negative result is a substantial growth of electrical demand associated to housing cooling, since A/C systems are becoming cheaper and more popular.