Indoor air quality and passive solar buildings.

Passive solar buildings are expected to provide their intended functions, safely and without adverse health effects, and at substantial energy savings compared to conventional buildings. Moreover, passive solar buildings are frequently considered as appropriate technology in parts of the world where the incidence rates of diseases associated with indoor exposures may be the highest.

Use of ventilated envelopes in building retrofitting.

The application of a continuous thermal insulation on the external face of building walls ameliorates the thermal performance of external walls and alleviates problems related to thermal bridges. However a further improvement of this insulation system may be achieved by using ventilated walls, which consist of an open ended cavity placed between an insulating board {directly applied on the external side of outer walls) and an external cladding.

A more environmentally conscious design of passive solar buildings: the role of acoustical insulation with reference to traffic noise.

ln the past, passive solar buildings were specifically designed with respect to energy and thermal comfort requirements. Within this framework a fa9ade able to collect solar energy and bring indoor suitable conditions for occupants was thought of as an optimal building device. On the contrary, little attention was paid to their acoustic behaviour.

Light and airy?

              

Passive control of architectural environment based on the design method of Korean traditional architecture with reference to "Young-am House".

The examination of the "Young-am House", a traditional folk house located in the middle region of the Korean peninsula, aims to analyze and to inform the bio-climatic design of the building and interior spaces based in the traditional architecture of Korea. As a consequence of the examination, it was evident that bioclimatic design performed an important part in creating a natural environment for comfortable living by taking consideration of the changing local climatic conditions.

Thermal comfort in indoor and outdoor transitional spaces of buildings in Bangkok.

Thermal comfort in transitional spaces of buildings is established from a field study conducted in the cool season of Bangkok, Thailand. IL involved 302 indoor subjects occupying either air-conditioned or naturally ventilated environments and 291 outdoor subjects who were leaving the indoors. The data were analysed by using a calculating method, "Griffiths" values, giving neutral temperatures, and a quadratic regression for thermal acceptability.

Air flow through louvered windows in small rooms.

In equatorial warm humid climates, ventilation has been largely adopted as a major strategy for natural passive cooling. In those climates the use porous elements are common to allow for permanent ventilation as temperature rarely drops below 20°C. Nevertheless, the performance of many building components has not been thoroughly determined, making it difficult to predict buildings performance as ventilation rates, estimated in most simulation codes are often based on apertures typologies from temperate and cold regions.

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