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The present document includes a state-of-the-art review of solar envelope systems that are already on the market or that can potentially reach that stage in a short-medium timeframe. The analysis focuses on the technological integration of such solutions in the envelope and building, but non-technical issues such as aesthetic, architectural integration and customer acceptance are also tackled. The solar envelope systems are classified in: Solar harvesting systems: systems that generate electricity or heat; Solar gains control systems, controlling; Hybrid systems: combination of solar harvesting and solar gains control systems.

Special architectural conditions and needs are common in almost all shopping centres. The main retrofit drivers are: (i) improve the indoor environmental quality and functionality, to enhance the customers experience; (ii) reduce the energy consumption; (iii) optimize the building operation and relative maintenance costs and (iv) improve the overall sustainability level reducing the environmental, social, and economic impact. Shopping centres vary in their functions, typologies, forms and size, as well as the (shopping) trip purpose. To consider the shopping centre building stock as one segment with its own boundaries and trends, the EU FP7 CommONEnergy project set a shopping centre definition1: “A shopping centre is a formation of one or more retail buildings comprising units and ‘communal’ areas, which are planned and managed as a single entity related in its location, size and type of shops to the trade area that it serves.” The European wholesale and retail sector is the big marketplace of Europe, contributing with around 11% of the EU’s GDP2. Therefore, sustainability of the retail sector may significantly contribute to reaching the EU long-term environmental and energy goals. Within the retail sector, shopping centres are of particular interest due to: their structural complexity and multi-stakeholders’ decisional process, their high energy savings and carbon emissions reduction potential, as well as their importance and influence in shopping tendencies and lifestyle. A shopping centre is a building, or a complex of buildings, designed and built to contain many interconnected activities in different areas. Next to public spaces, there are areas related to work spaces, with different use and location and according to the shopping centre type. They have different opening hours and entrances than the shopping centre. Today, in addition to the mere commercial function, a shopping centre responds to several customer needs: it exhibits recreational attractions …

This report summarize the progress within the activity of definition of interfaces to SQL database and data structures, with draft system description and module concept of a user-friendly modular open source software for data evaluation and interpretation, implemented in the monitoring system, open for extensions by using the shell of Neural Network (in which source data can be flexibly incorporated data calculations or historical process data and other sources of reliable data.

This chapter presents a critical systematization of: a) Procedures for conducting Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) campaigns (e.g., longitudinal, point-intime, transversal);b) Protocols and tools (including the identification of sensors,instruments, etc.) to measure building performance data (related to the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) presented in Chapter 2); c)Protocols and tools (including questionnaires, forms, etc.) for collecting quantitative (e.g., surveys, etc.) and qualitative occupant data (e.g., focus groups, structured interviews, etc.).Considering that several procedures, protocols and tools are currently available, the systematization has been structured through the following methodological steps: 1) review of scientific papers from peer-reviewed journals, online documentation, extracts from books and conference proceedings, among others; 2)collection of information from existing POE providers (e.g., websites, direct contact, etc.); and, 3) analysis of criteria and requirements embedded in current standards and green building certification systems. For each of the above aspects, the information is presented discussed, and synthetized in tables. A comprehensive reference list at the end of this chapter offers a wide overview of the various literature sources from which all the information presented in this booklet has been gathered.

In the perspective of “nearly zero energy buildings” as foreseen in the EPBD 2010/31/EU, herein a prototype of a wooden prefabricated BiPV wall is conceived, designed, built and tested. The prototype key concepts, identified according to the recommendations of the IEA Task 41 research project, are: multi-functionality, prefabrication, sustainability and integration. The prototype design is the result of a theoretical study which takes into account both architectural integration aspects and energy performance issues. The latter in particular, is based on the evaluation and improvement of both PV and building-related aspects, through the investigation and implementation of low-cost passive strategies to improve the overall BiPV performance. A modular specimen of the prototype was built thanks to an industrial collaboration and tested through an experimental approach, based on the combination of several phases performed in two test facilities (i.e. INTENT lab and SoLaRE-PV lab) by means of original experimental set-up. The effectiveness of the proposed BiPV prototype configuration is proven by comparing the results of the experiments with monitored data of two BiPV systems (a roof and a façade system) located in South Tyrol (North of Italy). The experimental results are then generalized, providing significant data and experimental expressions for a deeper understanding of BiPV systems energy performance.

In the perspective of the "Net Zero Energy Buildings" as specified in the EPBP 2010/31/EU, herein a modular unglazed solar thermal facade component for facilitating the installation of active solar thermal facades has been conceived and designed to answer three considerations: (1) easily installable elements, offering high modularity to be sized for the specific needs of the buildings considered, (2) low-price unglazed technology, given by the industrial process already developed for the fridge evaporators, and (3) versatile modules to be used for both new buildings and for existing buildings for energy retrofitting. The existing buildings stock offers a high-potential opportunity to improve the energy efficiency when using such a system. Indeed, the building envelope elements have a significant impact on energy consumptions and performances of the building, and this is a key aspect to consider during renovation. Considering buildings integrating solar thermal (BIST) by the means of facade retrofitting of solar thermal collectors (STC) opens up new challenges for engineers. Facade usage, compared to the traditional roof installations, offers two interesting potentialities: (1) increased available surfaces, and (2) minimization of the unwanted overheating problem, that appears in summer, thanks to the vertical tilt (as the energy production is almost constant over the year). This allows sizing the STC according to the actual heat needs and avoids as much as possible energy fluxes mismatch. The design methodology of such a modular component is the main contribution of the PhD work. The challenges are tackled via a parametric approach. Dynamic simulation tools support the design choices for the energy systems of BIST and to optimize the interactions between the envelope and the STC with the criteria of reducing the overall energy consumption. This methodology is described and applied to the design of a modular prototype of an innovative facade component integrating unglazed STC. We first analyze a variety of typologies of buildings as potential commercial targets of the facade component of unglazed STC integrated facade element. Both residential and non residential buildings are considered. The purpose of this analysis is to match the heat loads for properly sizing the facade elements for each typology. Benchmark models of buildings from the Department of Energy are used such as multifamily houses, hospitals, big and small hotels, schools, offices. These are simulated through EnergyPlus in three European locations (Stockholm, Zurich and Rome) in order to define the yearly heat loads for domestic hot water (DHW) and space heating (SH) needs. Finally, the prototype is conceived and designed as a low-cost product to implement into facades with the criteria of optimizing the energy production. The unglazed STC is combined with a simple configuration of combisystem in order to define some rule of thumbs through Trnsys. By the fact that the energy is produced at lower temperatures, if compared with glazed flat plate collectors, this technology is potential applicable to those buildings having the proper heat loads and the suitable system layout.