IEA - ECBCS Annex 44: Integrating Environmentally Responsive Elements in Buildings

Research into building energy efficiency over the last decade has focused on efficiency improvements of specific building elements like the building envelope, including its walls, roofs and fenestration components, and building equipment such as heating, ventilation, air handling, cooling equipment and lighting. Significant improvement have been achieved, and whilst most building elements still offer opportunities for efficiency improvements, the greatest future potential lie with technologies that promote the integration of responsive building elements and communication among building services. The project will address the following objectives: State-of-the-art review of responsive building elements, of integrated building concepts and of environmental performance assessment methods Improve and optimise responsive building elements Develop and optimise new building concepts with integration of responsive building elements, HVAC-systems as well as natural and renewable energy strategies Develop guidelines and procedures for estimation of environmental performance of responsive building elements and integrated building concepts The project is an international research project initiated by IEA-ECBCS and lead by Denmark , represented by Prof. Per Heiselberg , AAU. About 25 research groups from 15 countries participate in the project.