Among solar passive systems integrated in buildings, sunspaces or solar greenhouses represent a very interesting solution. A sunspace is a closed, southbound volume, constituted by transparent surfaces, adjacent to a building, which reduces winter energy demand thanks to the use of solar gains....

The thermal performance of building envelopes is the determinant factor of building energy consumption, and especially envelope retrofitting is an effective way of reducing energy consumptions in existing building. For different climates, there may exist different optimal retrofitting schemes....

This paper provides a review of the energy saving policies and technologies on double glazing windows, central heating and air conditioning in office buildings. After which results of a face to face survey of 685 companies’ managers are presented, which give insights into the facts that have...

A significant portion of the total primary energy is consumed by today's buildings in developed countries. In many of these buildings, the energy consumption can be significantly reduced by adopting energy efficiency strategies. Due to environmental concerns and the high cost of energy in recent...

Due to its high thermal performance, ground source heat pump systems (GSHPs) have been introduced as an alternative to reduce energy consumption of heating and cooling systems. The thermal performance of GSHPs strongly depends on ground temperature and energy demand for heating and cooling...

In the paper are presented the economic criteria on the basis of which the choice of selection of energetics modernization measures of existing buildings is made. The paper describes a synthesis of economic criteria from Romania and abroad on the basis of which the choice of technical solutions...

Marble is a natural material, used in the construction field since antiquity. It has always been used to communicate monumentality and solidity. Nowadays new technologies permit marble to express new languages: particularly, translucent marble technology overturns the concept of solidity. The...

If buildings can change “clothes” according to seasons like human being, the energy consumption for their space heating or cooling will be saved greatly. For this purpose, the thermophysical properties of building external wall should be self-adjusted according to outdoor temperature. In...

Today, green roofs are a building system which provides interesting benefits over traditional roof solutions. The most important advantages are the reduction of surface runoff in cities, improvement of the urban climate, biodiversity support, improvement of the durability of roofing materials,...

Thermal properties of materials used in building envelopes must be analysed in order to evaluate the thermal response of the constructive system. This thermal characterisation is a key point during the design phase of a building. However, thermal characterisation of constructive systems at...