Intelligent buildings: innovative techniques for the environment.

With respect to architecture and building materials, this reorientation process has led to advanced technological developments designed to achieve a reduction in the consumption of resources for heating purposes. There is a general trend to reduce the heat loss caused by a transmission through walls and windows. Today, triple glazing and well-insulated walls are used to cut the heating energy demand. On a medium-term basis, the transmission loss might be reduced by approx. 70% so that anaverage energy consumption of 50 kWh per m squared and year might possibly be attained in the future. Compared to the present situation in Germany with average values of about 150 kWh for theexisting building stock, a reduction by the factor three seems to be achievable within a few years, from technical as well as from economic aspects.