Thermally Active Surfaces in Architecture

topics

Publishers

Architecture

ISBN: 9781568988801
English edition
Princeton Architectural Press
Hardcover, 240 pages
21,6 x 27,9 cm
colour
May 2010
€41,80 (excl. VAT)

Thermally Active Surfaces in Architecture

Kiel Moe

Focuses on the technique of thermally active surfaces – a technique that uses water in building surfaces to heat and cool bodies – a method that is at once more efficient, comfortable, and healthy. This technique thus imbues the fabric of the building with a more poignant role: its structure is also its primary heating and cooling system. In doing so, this approach triggers a cascading set of possibilities for how well buildings are built, how well they perform, and how long they will last: pointing the way toward multiple forms of sustainability.

Section one looks at the parallel histories of thermally active surfaces and air conditioning. The next section covers the physiological and thermodynamic basis of thermally active surfaces. It is written to help engineers and architects grasp the logic and advantages of this technique. It also includes a chapter on the de-fragmentation of buildings and design practice that is inherent in building with thermally active surfaces. The final section looks at contemporary case studies that demonstrate the efficacy of this technique.