Abstract: Background Phase change materials (PCMs) have been proposed as a means to increase the thermal inertia of glazing systems. These materials have optical features that need to be investigated and characterised in order to better understand the potential of these systems and to provide reliable data for numerical simulations.   Methods The spectral and angular behaviour of different PCM glazing samples, characterised by different thicknesses of PCMs, were investigated by means of commercial spectrophotometer and by means of a dedicated optical test bed that includes a large integrating sphere with a diameter of 0.75 m. Such equipment was necessary because…

Abstract This paper shows the results of a research activity aimed at assessing the advantages of an ideal adaptive building skin over conventional building envelope systems. The basic idea underlying the research consists in imagining an ideal building envelope system characterised by the capability of continuously changing (within a certain range) some of its thermo-physical and optical properties. The reason for the continuous tuning of thermo-physical and optical properties lies in the assumption that an optimised (fixed) configuration, where the properties do not change over time, is not able to minimise the total energy demand of the building at each…

Abstract Shading systems are widely used, also in Nordic climates, in conjunction with glazed facade in office buildings. The primary functions of the solar shading devices are to control solar gains leading to cooling needs during operational hours and reduction of discomfort caused by glare. A secondary property of shading devices incorporated in glazing units is that they can be utilized as an additional layer in the glazing unit when the shading device is deployed. This can improve the thermal transmittance value (U-value) of the windows. It can be deployed during night-time or in periods when a blocked view does…

Abstract Background Phase change materials (PCMs) have been proposed as a means to increase the thermal inertia of glazing systems. These materials have optical features that need to be investigated and characterised in order to better understand the potential of these systems and to provide reliable data for numerical simulations. Methods The spectral and angular behaviour of different PCM glazing samples, characterised by different thicknesses of PCMs, were investigated by means of commercial spectrophotometer and by means of a dedicated optical test bed that includes a large integrating sphere with a diameter of 0.75 m. Such equipment was necessary because of…