This book presents an approach to energy-efficient building design, which takes into account the most important challenges in climate change mitigation and adaptation in Southern Europe. It outlines a specific approach related to residential buildings and their intergenerational and vulnerable occupants, such as ageing population and users in fuel poverty. It also focuses on the use of passive energy measures throughout the year, and on pursuing a realistic and affordable approach to the efficient rehabilitation of resilient residential buildings. In addition, the book presents case studies that include surveys, monitoring, and simulation of residential buildings in Spain and other Southern European representative locations, in order to go further on the study of this challenging topic.

In this book, leading international experts explore the emerging concept of the zero energy mass custom home (ZEMCH) – designed to meet the need for social, economic, and environmental sustainability – and provide all of the knowledge required for the delivery of zero energy mass customized housing and community developments in developed and developing countries. The coverage is wide ranging, progressing from explanation of the meaning of sustainable development to discussion of challenges and trends in mass housing, the advantages and disadvantages of prefabricated methods of construction, and the concepts of mass customization, mass personalization, and inclusive design. A chapter on energy use will aid the reader in designing and retrofitting housing to reduce energy demand and/or improve energy end‐use efficiency. Passive design strategies and active technologies (especially solar) are thoroughly reviewed. Application of the ZEMCH construction criteria to new buildings and refurbishment of old houses is explained and the methods and value of building performance simulation, analyzed. The concluding chapter presents examples of ZEMCH projects from around the world, with discussion of marketing strategy, design, quality assurance, and delivery challenges. The book will be invaluable as a training/teaching tool for both students and industry partners.

This book presents an in-depth analysis covering climatic and weather conditions, house and building development history, construction methods and technologies, and environmental conditions. It provides relevant house and building information and highlights recent advances in hot and humid regions, as well as developments in other regions that are relevant to hot and humid climates. The countries in hot and humid regions, which include the tropical countries, the Middle Eastern countries around the Mediterranean, and many countries of Central Asia and Africa, are home to some of the most challenging conditions in the world in terms of house and building design and construction, and in terms of maintaining indoor thermal comfort and air quality in an energy-efficient way. The book’s respective chapters, prepared by expert contributors, cover essential concepts, designs, and construction methodologies for houses and commercial buildings. As such, the book offers a valuable resource for undergraduate and graduate students in architecture and engineering, house and building designers, and building sciences researchers. Building contractors, manufacturers and distributors of building equipment and devices, and government policymakers and legislators will also benefit from the information provided in this book.

This book is the result of recent research that deals with the built environment and innovative materials, carried out by specialists working in universities and centers of research in different professional fields ─ architecture, engineering, physics ─ and in an area that that spans from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf, and from South Eastern Europe to the Middle East. This book takes the necessity of re-shaping the concept of building design in order to transform buildings from large scale energy consumers to energy savers and producers into consideration. The book is organized in two parts: theory and case studies. For the theoretical part, we chose from the wide range of sources that provide energy efficient materials and systems the two that seem to be endless: the sun and vegetation. Their use in building products represents a tool for specialists in the architectural design concept. The case-studies presented analyze different architectural programs, in different climates, from new buildings to rehabilitation approaches and from residential architecture to hospitals and sports arenas; each case emphasizes the interdisciplinarity of the building design activity in order to help readers gain a better understanding of the complex approach needed for energy efficient building design

Energy use in buildings in the EU represents about 40% of the total annual energy consumption. With greater awareness of the need to reduce energy consumption comes a growth of interest in passive cooling, particularly as an alternative to air-conditioning. This book describes the fundamentals of passive cooling together with the principles and formulae necessary for its successful implementation. The material is comprised largely of information and results compiled under the SAVE European Research Programme.

This long-awaited reference guide provides a complete overview of low energy cooling systems for buildings, covering a wide range of existing and emerging sustainable energy technologies in one comprehensive volume. An excellent data source on cooling performance, such as building loads or solar thermal chiller efficiencies, it is essential reading for building services and renewable energy engineers and researchers covering sustainable design. The book is unique in including a large set of experimental results from years of monitoring actual building and energy plants, as well as detailed laboratory and simulation analyses. These demonstrate which systems really work in buildings, what the real costs are and how operation can be optimized – crucial information for planners, builders and architects to gain confidence in applying new technologies in the building sector. Inside you will find valuable insights into: the energy demand of residential and office buildings; facades and summer performance of buildings; passive cooling strategies; geothermal cooling; active thermal cooling technologies, including absorption cooling, desiccant cooling and new developments in low power chillers; sustainable building operation using simulation. Supporting case study material makes this a useful text for senior undergraduate students on renewable and sustainable energy courses. Practical and informative, it is the best up-to-date volume on the important and rapidly growing area of cooling.

While heat from sunlight and ventilation from breezes is free for the taking, few modern architects or builders really understand the principles involved. Yet "natural conditioning"--Heating and cooling with passive solar techniques -- is a viable alternative to fossil fuels. Acknowledging the good intentions of misguided solar designers in the past, the author highlights certain egregious errors and shows how to avoid them. The author shows how to select a cost-effective, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly backup heating system; how to preserve indoor air quality in an airtight, energy-efficient home; and ways of employing green building materials in a naturally conditioned home.