A new research project in the Building Research Institute aims at developing a quantitative tool for cross ventilation design for buildings. One of the approaches adopted in the project is the experiment in the wind tunnel, where a full-size cubical building model can be used at this stage. In this paper, mainly the first observation result for the building model without openings is shown and discussed.

The detailed urban plan of Kanjiza beside the two existing hotels at the grounds assigned for the development of the Institute of Special Medical Rehabilitation "Kanji"a Spa" comprises a plan to build a third hotel. An urbanistic solution of the complex was found, (positioning of the hotel) based on a bioclimatic study in which bioclimatic elements both in the analysis of the location and in the architectural design were taken into account. The bioclimatic study started by considering the elements of climate and the conditions of the location.

In order to confirm the effectiveness of the indoor climate control system adopted in the experimental house, the indoor climate in summer was evaluated for the experimental house and two other buildings in Nanning city and a comparison was made. Two vernacular buildings which have natural indoor and semi-outdoor cooling systems were selected for the study The majority of the measurements were taken using the spherical thermography system. The results showed that the quality of the indoor thermal environment of each building is approximately the same.

This paper presents a synopsis of the content of the New Zealand Standard for Energy Efficiency in Large Buildings. This new standard is purported to be 'descriptive'. The paper outlines the three permissible methods for demonstrating compliance with the Standard's requirements. Disadvantages of this approach are stated and an alternative proposal is suggested.

Condensation phenomena on internal surfaces of buildings are becoming recurrent eventualities in contemporary buildings, particularly in residential buildings. Despite the general belief, this accumulation of water on walls is not mainly due to mass migration from outdoor to indoor, but to a modification of behavioural approaches of people, especially referring to the preferred air temperature.

Why is bioclimatic architecture not as popular as other environmentally conscious" concepts? What are the possible loopholes in current practices and how could these be taken care of? To answer such questions, this paper attempts to trace the synergetic effects of different activities within the context of Israel, and in particular that of the Israeli desert.

Some techniques aimed at the evaluation of microclimatic parameters through the measurement of other indoor physical quantities are critically reviewed. Particularly, the appraisal of the air velocity from the predicted mean vote and the determination of air change from the decay of the C02 indoor concentration are analysed. Important warnings for the use of these methods are underlined and the limits of applicability are pointed out.

The wish to improve the energy performance of a building as well as to improve indoor climate can be mentioned as one of the main driving forces behind the introduction of so called 'double facades'. Various types of double facades can be distinguished; the number of possible double facade variants is large. This raises the question in what way the performance of double facades can be predicted during the design process and how well-considered design decisions can be made.

A method of assessing building passive thermal performance for houses in Europe is described. The method is intended to provide the user with a means of understanding the factors effecting the thermal characteristics of the building, while giving figures that will allow the best use to be made of available passive energy techniques. The development and use of this method is outlined, and a description is given of how Genetic Programming will be used in this process.