MCA is a partner in a research group which is being funded by the European Commissions JOULE program to explore the application of passive downdraught evaporative cooling (PDEC) in non-domestic buildings (I). As part of MCA's task to design a full scale experimental building, special components were designed to catch the wind and distribute through the building spaces. To determine the most efficient form for these components, a series of wind tunnel tests was undertaken at the University of Ancona, Italy.

Mechanical ventilation in buildings requires appropriate systems for heating and cooling. The costs of energy demand represent a high percentage of the global costs for climatisation. As a part of a project concerning these subjects the development of a computer code for evaluating energy load due to mechanical ventilation in buildings is in progress. The mathematical model is based on simplified equations to fit dynamically the psychometric curves. Inlet air flow rates are evaluated according to the more recent Italian regulations.