Experimental and analytical assessment of three types of spacer bars used in making insulated glass (IG) units were performed and reported earlier, Elmahdy et al (1993). In that study, the authors presented the results of finite difference model and guarded hotbox measurements of the temperature distribution and overall U-factor of the three glazing systems. It was clear from that analysis that the so-called warm edge spacer bars demonstrated better thermal performance compared with conventional metal spacer bars.

Since the wall insulation of buildings and the quality of glazing improve more and more, the window frame becomes the weak point in the facade from a thermal perspective. This paper discusses a new frameless window construction. Results in this paper show that the best position of the glass is in the middle of the insulation. This new junction has an almost 40 % lower energy loss compared to a traditional junction. Computer simulations as well as experimental measurements of a full-scale prototype have proven this.

The paper describes the comfort analysis based on simulation tools, microclimaticmeasurements and people response to interview.The results confirm a discrepancy between quantitative evaluation and sensatioin vote, butlowe then one reported by other authors.

The main purpose of the present study is to define places in the major Athens area where the heat island effect occurs. Several important climatic parameters are examined in combination with the application of various statistical tests. From this research it is mainly observed that the central and the west industrialized parts of the city of Athens develop intensely the urban heat island effect.

The effect of the synoptic scale atmospheric circulation on the urban heat island phenomenon over Athens, Greece, was investigated and quantified for a period of two years, using a neural network approach. A neural network model was appropriately designed and tested for the estimation of the heat island intensity at twenty-three stations during the examined period. The day-by-day synoptic scale atmospheric circulation in the lower atmosphere for the same period was classified into eight statistically distinct categories.

During the design process of heating systems, the designer must analyse various factors in order to determine the best design options. Therefore, the environmental aspects of a product should be included in the analysis and selection of design options if an environmentally - aware design is to be produced. If one wishes to assess a products environmental impact, its whole life cycle must be studied. The Life Cycle Assessment (or LCA) methodology is an example of one kind of environmental analysis which included the entire life-cycle of a product. However, this method has some limitations.

Acoustics research is thriving and allowed significant progress in the improvement of living conditions.However, a gap has been noted between research and practical applications in situ. This awareness has encouraged laboratories to investigate the urban sonic environment from different perspectives. Thus the following :1) The sound signal is not a single element, it is always the result of a propagation in a built space and the circumstances that bring about its reception : position and mobility of the listener.

The author presents an example of ventilation for high-standing collective dwellings with a system that combines thermal comfort and healthy ventilation. It consists in picking air on the roof and dispatching it into the building with a vertical tubing. The air is filtered then pulsed by a fan and dispatched in the dwellings via horizontal tubes.
That system solves the acoustic problem too in so far as air is taken on the roof with no air entry on the facade.

The particle contamination is well mastered whereas the molecular and microbiological contaminations are not : the existing purifying systems generally use the trapping but not the destruction of the contaminants. CIAT company has developed the NEO system to destroy those contaminants : it consists in combination of adsorption on activated carbon with photocatalyst, the results of that coupling are encouraging.

The authors present the different techniques for the reduction of radon concentrations in buildings, mainly in individual buildings. Natural ventilation is one of the solutions, a second one is the depressurization of the ground and the last one is pressurization of the building with the use of mechanical ventilation. Each building is a specific case but operational solutions exist that have to be forecasted .