High energy-efficiency buildings

In cold, central European climates, hyper-insulated, heat-conserving buildings have proven a very effective way to reduce current energy consumption to 1/10 th of a traditional house. Using dry, stratified building techniques (Str/En) allows to obtain quite easily the required thermal and acoustical performances, also enhancing the construction process and allowing for the final recycling of the components. In a warmer climate – such as the Italian one – a heat-conserving strategy has to be balanced against the potential overheating problems. Among the possible solutions, the use of building-integrated Phase Change Materials, which could create a " light thermal inertia " (that is, without heavy mass), was also investigated.