English

This paper assesses the role of design and operational parameters in a night ventilated library building that has been designed for a maritime type climate. The design rationale behind the building is elaborated and decisions associated with the various design parameters discussed. A model of the building is created using the ESPr simulation program which after experimental validation is used to carry out parametric and sensitivity studies on the building.

This work describes a study aiming to establish the coupled impact of the increase of the insulation of the building envelope and the adoption of night ventilation upon the thermal performance of buildings. A particular emphasis is placed upon the consequences in terms of increased temperatures in summer, potentially leading to increased needs for installation of airconditioning. The methodology is based on parametric studies obtained through simulations. The requirements to avoid air-conditioning, in terms of window shading for each level of insulation, are presented.

This research work presents the experimental results of the thermal performance of the envelope of a prototype low cost house built in a new sustainable community located in a prevailing temperate climate, with extreme diurnal and seasonal temperature swings. This project is based on the application of an ecological and innovative building system, aimed at reducing construction costs whilst providing suitable indoor thermal comfort for the occupants, as well as high levels of self-sufficiency in energy and water, among other benefits.

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.