High reflective coatings and paintings for the building envelope can be very useful to reduce the cooling loads and ensure thermal comfort conditions in the built environment.A sustainable painting obtained with a specialmixture of milk and vinegar is able to reach very high solar reflectance for light colours and especially for the bright white was tested during summer 2006 and used for roofs and walls for several purposes. The solar reflectance of this materials and of usual construction materials was measured with a spectrophotometer.

As both CFD and building simulation have their own limitationsin the thermal prediction of natural ventilation. Externalcoupled simulation method between CFD (FLUENT) and building simulation (ESP-r) hasbeen put forward for thermalenvironment prediction for naturally ventilated building design. Thecoupling mechanism and coupling program interfaceare introduced in the paper. Full CFD simulation and on site field measurements are done for the validation of the coupled simulationmethod.

The paper provides a technical discussion on the developmentof zero energy building design strategies in the UK. Two building simulation software (TAS and TRNSYS) are employed to investigate various facade parameter studies as well as a solar service system. TAS building simulation is used to assess the effectiveness of passive strategies by taking building materials, window sizes and shading devices into consideration. TRNSYS is used for the investigation of the feasibility of using solar domestic hot water system in UK.

Thermal mass can be used in buildings to reduce the need for and dependence on mechanical heating and cooling systems whilst maintaining environmental comfort. Active thermal mass strategies further enhance the performance of thermal mass by integrating it with Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems. In this paper two buildings in the UK incorporating different active thermal mass strategies have been monitored for a summer period.

Many schools today have a need for artificial cooling over the year but most of the classrooms do not have any cooling capacity installed. This fact results in high room temperatures as well as poor thermal comfort. However, new research shows that an increased air velocity during short periods can create an improved temperature tolerance in human beings. The high velocity pulses are short, a few minutes, so that the air movements should not be perceived as draft. This means that, within certain limits, it is possible to let the room temperature rise with maintained comfort.

One of the prerequisites for the design of buildings that make good use of daylight for internal illumination is a knowledge of the daylight climate in the place where the building is to be situated. The amount of light likely to enter a building is often quantified using Daylight Factor, the ratio of internal to external illuminance, which can be measured by taking some internal and external readings with a luxmeter. A luxmeter is a photometric device that uses a photocell with V-? and cosine correction.

This paper concentrates on the results of sustainability caused by Courtyard as a climatic element in Iranian traditional architecture of hot-arid regions. Traditional architecture of Iran is perceived sustainable for having sustainable features. It is able to response to environmental problems from a long period.

The design of sustainable cities in locations with adverseclimates should consider different ways to mitigatethe heat in open spaces, especially during the summerperiods. One of the passive strategies to improve the thermal conditions of places with warm and dry climate is the use of evaporative systems. The Europeanproject ECO-Valle Mediterranean Verandahways was created with this aim, looking for the conditioning of open spaces by means of natural techniques and the reduction of CO2 emissions.

Widely known as urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon, urban air temperatures tend to be higher than rural temperatures,due to the thermal performance of building materials and urban geometry, together with the productionof anthropogenic heat. Although the UHI phenomenonis worldwide studied, still just too few works deal with the relationship between heat islands and electricalenergy consumption. Furthermore, just a few tools that could actually support urban designers and decisionmakers are currently available.

Bioclimatic approach gives attention to the design of roof since it is commonly the building element which is most exposed. Some of the most favorable roof coolingtechniques are roof ponds which appear to influence the thermal behavior of roof through different processes including evaporation, radiation and conduction.