The use of superinsulation is normally associated with climates that are colder and less temperate than that of Auckland, New Zealand. However, if life-cycle energy analysis is undertaken, which incorporates operating and embodied energies and the energy of replacement parts over the life of the building, it can be shown that superinsulation of standard New Zealand lightweight construction more than halves the life-cycle energy of a typical house.

The paper traces the paradigm changes for house design in warm-humid climates, from the preference for traditional elevated, lightweight, ventilated buildings, through the advocacy for heavy construction, to the present conclusion that both can be equally good. The extension of selection criteria is suggested, to include psychological factors, which seem to favour the lightweight, cross-ventilated buildings. The success of these depends on the cooling effect of air movement, hence an attempt is made to quantify this effect.

This paper describes the Architectural Design Studies undertaken by Mario Cucinella Architects as part of a three year JOULE research project into the application of Passive Downdraught Evaporative Cooling (PDEC) in non-domestic buildings. The objective of the research was to develop a viable passive alternative to air-conditioning through architectural design, experimentation and performance assessment.

Passive Downdraught Cooling is a technique which will potentially become a substitute for conventional air-conditioning in Southern Europe and the hot dry regions of the world. As well as providing substantial energy savings, the technique avoids the need for ductwork, fans and suspended ceilings, and reduces the need for refrigerant based cooling. However, this approach has architectural implications which extends the vocabulary of 'passive design'.

In recent years, natural ventilation has been gaining credibility as a suitable passive design strategy for non domestic UK buildings. Many of the recently built naturally ventilated buildings in the UK incorporate ventilation stacks in various forms with the purpose of increasing ventilation during the summer months so that some cooling is provided during the day or by utilising night ventilation. This paper first describes briefly the stack ventilation strategies employed in a number of recently completed buildings in the UK.

In Switzerland, even if the average daily temperature rarely exceeds 25º C during the summer months, more and more cooling plants are being installed in administrative buildings. The CUEPE participated as experts in some realisations that showed (simulat

The work of Kohn Pedersen Fox (London) emphasises the civic responsibility of buildings and is primarily concerned with the integration of environmentally responsive elements into buildings within a civic context. The development of facades and roofs that perform a range of environmental tasks has been explored through a series of building designs. These use passive environmental control as a contribution to urban design by providing transition zones between street and building that can be used by both the public and building users.

The paper describes the sustainable design issues addressed in the briefing, design, procurement and construction of the building, set in the context of previous low energy office designs by the practice. It details the approaches taken to minimising the energy consumption and environmental impact of the building in use, and its construction. The impact of the completed building on the environment, landscape, local amenity and habitats is discussed. Comparisons are made with three recently completed office buildings.

Steven Beckers and Pierre Lallemand conceived the refurbishment of the European Headquarters in the centre of Brussels. With a low-energy design, sensitive in its choice of materials, the building uses environmentally friendly strategies and meets all modern comfort and environmental standards.