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A new approach is described for the calculation of radiative heat transfer within buildings. The progressive refinement method together and a fast view factor estimation algorithm are introduced, implemented and tested. Results obtained by the Improved Progressive Refinement Method (IPRM) are compared with the results from the standard matrix method and an earlier study. This paper also demonstrates how the IPRM is capable of evaluating the distribution of heat flux on wall surfaces iteratively to a desired accuracy level, and with no need to store view factors between all sub-surfaces concurrently. In other words, IPRM allows a more realistic evaluation of nonuniform thermal radiation of a space into a desired accuracy level, while requiring less computer time and memory. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]