The paper describes a method to calculate the heat flow through a multiple layer wall in a natural climate. The thermal properties needed for the calculation are the thermal resistance and the heat capacity of each layer, and they are assumed to be independent of the temperature. The natural climate can be measured temperatures, either surface temperatures or temperatures of the surrounding air. The method is based on well-known equations for calculating the heat flow due to a sinusoidal temperature variation.

The most critical aspect of the operation of any air-distribution system is the way that conditioned air is delivered to the occupied space, says Paul Jones         

Occupant-controlled heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems allow inhabitants of open-plan spaces some degree of control over their immediate microclimate. Typically, cooled air is supplied at floor or desktop levels. The amount and direction of air flow is under occupant control. Productivity increases have been attributed to this form of control. This paper proposes a simplified model of the thermal environment created by an occupant-controlled HV AC system and the behavior of the occupants within it.

New office buildings in Spain are nearly always designed to be air conditioned. The architect Emilio Miguel Mitre Associates (EMMA) has designed a building which avoids air conditioning, thereby reducing energy demand. The design uses the principles of high thermal mass combined with night ventilation, reduction of solar gain during the summer months, high levels of insulation, evaporative cooling, and buried pipes to provide cooling when the external temperature rises above 30°C.