The architectural and technological design of buildings needs a performance-based approach that takes into account the wider needs of the sustainability-oriented approach. Generally, building codes concerning the rational use of energy, set limits for the energy needs in winter that are evaluated by using simplified conventional conditions. In the Mediterranean area the energy needs in summer are significant and therefore energy saving strategies require the evaluations of building energy loads to be extended to cover the whole year.

The most diffuse standards which define a low energy building focus their attention to the reduction of consumptions during the heating period. This approach, which can pay in a heating dominated climate, leads to straightforward guidelines for reaching this purpose and to very few indications to avoid the overheating during the rest of the year. In a context where both the heating and cooling demand play a comparable role there is a need of clear targets and strategies for all the year as the mentioned standards do for the heating season.

Recent developments in enhancing heat transfer in cooling towers, together with the success of chilled ceilings, have prompted a review of the evaporative cooling technique. in temperate maritime climates. The thermal efficiency of such systems is a key parameter, as a measure of the degree to which the system has succeeded in exploiting the cooling potential of the ambient air. This paper presents the results of experimental research into the thermal efficiency of a water-side open indirect evaporative cooling test rig designed to achieve low (1-4 K) approach conditions.

This paper describes a study, developed in the district of Petropolis in the city of Natal, Brazil. The aim of the study was to investigate the influences of city urban form in the climate and its correlation with the thermal sensation of the users of open spaces. The method consists of drawing maps of the study area (based on Katzschner, 1997) including topography, building height, land use, green areas, soil pavement, as well as measurement of the environmental variables: air temperature, relative humidity, direction and wind speed, for a comparative study.

This paper assesses the role of design and operational parameters in a night ventilated library building that has been designed for a maritime type climate. The design rationale behind the building is elaborated and decisions associated with the various design parameters discussed. A model of the building is created using the ESPr simulation program which after experimental validation is used to carry out parametric and sensitivity studies on the building.

This work describes a study aiming to establish the coupled impact of the increase of the insulation of the building envelope and the adoption of night ventilation upon the thermal performance of buildings. A particular emphasis is placed upon the consequences in terms of increased temperatures in summer, potentially leading to increased needs for installation of airconditioning. The methodology is based on parametric studies obtained through simulations. The requirements to avoid air-conditioning, in terms of window shading for each level of insulation, are presented.

This research work presents the experimental results of the thermal performance of the envelope of a prototype low cost house built in a new sustainable community located in a prevailing temperate climate, with extreme diurnal and seasonal temperature swings. This project is based on the application of an ecological and innovative building system, aimed at reducing construction costs whilst providing suitable indoor thermal comfort for the occupants, as well as high levels of self-sufficiency in energy and water, among other benefits.

This paper describes an experimental study about thermal performance of different glazing materials in prototypes. In Brazil, due to its low latitudes and predominantly hot and humid climate, high solar radiation provokes strong heat gain in almost all the regions of the country. The worst building exposure conditions are on north and west faades. In previous work, the transmissivity to solar radiation for the more frequently used window glasses in buildings in Brazil was obtained through spectrophotometric analyses.

In the last years, the terms “ecological, sustainable, green” have been used and abused, also in buildings and settlements design. Further, usually, “ecological” aspects are not yet effectively integrated in the design laboratories of architecture and tec

Cultivation of crops such as tomatoes or lettuce in a modern hydroponic growing system reduces water consumption, requires no soil, doubles the growth rate, and enables year-round production. The product is healthier than field agriculture, because pesticide use is often unnecessary, and contamination from soil or airborne pathogens is nearly eliminated. On Mediterranean islands, high import costs, poor soils, and limited water supplies further favor hydroponic vegetable production. Effective hydroponic cultivation requires intensive regulation of the greenhouse environment.