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This paper describes a study aimed at providing outdoor illuminance data in Italy, to be used to evaluate daylight potential contribution in the energy performance of buildings. Starting from solar radiation data, a luminous efficacy model was implemented to derive outdoor illuminance for Italian territory. The results obtained were compared with ground measurements, carried out in three different Italian sites (Milan, Rome and Lampedusa island), and the accuracy of model, has been improved introducing specific metrics for Italian context. Typical Meteorological Years (TMYs) of global and diffused components of daylight illuminance, were built for 243 locations, considering different time profiles. Since the definition of the spatial and temporal trend of environmental variables or metrics requires the application of appropriate interpolation procedure, geostatistic methods (kriging), was used to develop Italian daylight maps. The daylight availability maps will be included in the Italian database of solar radiation (www.solaritaly.enea.it) providing an useful tool for lighting energy performances in buildings applications.

Background Phase change materials (PCMs) have been proposed as a means to increase the thermal inertia of glazing systems. These materials have optical features that need to be investigated and characterised in order to better understand the potential of these systems and to provide reliable data for numerical simulations. Methods The spectral and angular behaviour of different PCM glazing samples, characterised by different thicknesses of PCMs, were investigated by means of commercial spectrophotometer and by means of a dedicated optical test bed that includes a large integrating sphere with a diameter of 0.75 m. Such equipment was necessary because of the highly diffusive behaviour of the PCM layer when in the solid state of aggregation. Results The paper provides a data set of luminous and solar properties of glazing units with PCMs in gaps; the data set uses results from an advanced optical facility that overcomes the intrinsic limitations of commercial spectrophotometers in measuring the optical properties of the advanced transparent materials. In detail, transmittance, reflectance and absorptance spectra of double glazing units characterised by different PCM layer thicknesses in the gap, measured at different incident beam angles, are reported. Integrated values calculated according to relevant international standards are thus provided. Optical features of PCM glazing systems are also highlighted and issues related to the integration of these systems in buildings are discussed. © 2014. This is the authors’ accepted and refereed manuscript to the article. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

The solar reflectance of the surfaces is a property that varies according to spectral and angular distribution of the incident solar radiation which in turn depends on orientation and latitude. In this paper, an optical characterization was conducted on some typical opaque building materials, generally used as roof covers: shingles, membranes, bricks and tiles. The measurements were carried out through an experimental factory equipped with a large integrating sphere which allows to measure the spectral reflectance at different incidence angles of the light beam on the sample. Thus it was possible to create a function that linked reflectance values with the incidence angle. The results obtained were included within a dynamic software in order to optimize the calculation of solar gains in the energy balance of a building.

Highly reflective roofs, widely known as cool roofs, can reduce peak surface temperatures and the energy required to cool buildings, mitigate urban microclimates, and offset CO 2 . However, weathering, soiling, and biological growth affect their solar reflectance. In this study, the solar spectral reflectances of 12 roofing membranes were measured before the exposure and after 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months of natural ageing in Roma and Milano, Italy. The membranes with an initial solar reflectance greater than 0.80, for example, decreased in reflectance by 0.14 in Roma and 0.22 in Milano after two years. Then, for a typical highly insulated commercial building, the annual cooling load savings were calculated to be reduced by 4.1–7.1 MJ m −2 y −1 per 0.1 loss in reflectance. When the buildings are non-insulated, the savings reduction is 58–71 MJ m −2 y −1 in Milano and 70–84 MJ m −2 y −1 in Roma. Ageing yielded a reduction of the cooling load savings that could be achieved with a new white membrane of 14–23% in Roma and of 20–34% in Milano. Moreover, in Milano, an aged, white, highly insulated roof, which has a solar reflectance of 0.56, may reach a surface temperature 16 °C higher than a new roof, which has a solar reflectance of 0.80.

Aerogel is a promising building envelope material that can be used to improve thermal and lighting performance. In monolithic form, aerogels allow visual interaction between the built and outdoor environments, unlike aerogels in granular form. However, the high production cost of large monoliths limits their use. In this work, monolithic silica aerogels were fabricated using tetramethyl orthosilicate as the precursor in a base-catalysed recipe, and a novel rapid supercritical extraction method. The method produces transparent aerogel monoliths in as little as six hours. A 30 × 30 cm glazing sample was constructed from nine 15-mm-thick aerogel monoliths sandwiched between two pieces of 4.7-mm-thick float glass. The glazing sample was characterized in terms of directional and hemispherical optical and visual properties. Measurements were made with an in-house-constructed spectrophotometer equipped with a 75-cm-diameter integrating sphere in the 380- to 2300- nm wavelength range with variable incidence angles. The light and direct solar transmittance are 0.69 and 0.62, while the light and direct solar reflectance are 0.25 and 0.19, respectively. The sample is also characterized by a high general colour rendering index (Ra = 96), allowing indoor visual comfort. Gonio-photometric and directional spectral transmittance measurements show negligible visual distortion and colour variation at different observation angles. The light transmittance of the prototype is lower than that of glazing units present on the market, but about 10% higher than an equivalent unit with granular aerogel. This performance is promising for applications where view through a window is required. However, the size of the samples currently fabricated with the innovative process is limited to 14 × 14 cm and they are characterized by some optical defects that must be removed if the process is to be used for commercial product.

A comprehensive review of aerogel glazing systems is provided, focusing on the main properties of interest in building applications. Both granular and monolithic forms are taken into account, even if only the former is available on the market. Reviewed studies regard the material itself and of the assembled glazing systems are analysed. After a short description of the fabrication process, thermal and optical properties are presented, in order to provide a set of useful data on the most important parameters affecting energy and lighting performance of buildings. Not-energy related aspects, as quality of lighting and acoustic properties are also investigated, being relevant for the successful building integration. Numerical analyses and field studies show the potential of the technology to achieve relevant energy savings with respect to conventional glazing systems, especially in cold dominated climates. Long term performance studies confirm the reliability of the technology, with minor functionality issues to be solved. Costs of aerogel are still considerably higher when compared to conventional glazing units, however the fully developed technology may become competitive with the performance required in a zero energy building perspective.

A radiative cooling device, based on a metamaterial able to mirror solar radiation and emit heat toward the universe by the transparency window of the atmosphere (8&ndash, 13 &micro, m), reaching and maintaining temperatures below ambient air, without any electricity input (passive), could have a significant impact on energy consumption of buildings and positive effects on the global warming prevention. A similar device is expected to properly work if exposed to the nocturnal sky, but during the daytime, its efficacy could be affected by its own heating under direct sunlight. In scientific literature, there are only few evidences of lab scale devices, acting as passive radiative cooling at daytime, and remaining few degrees below ambient air. This work describes the proof of concept of a daytime passive radiative cooler, entirely developed in ENEA labs, capable to reach well 12 &deg, C under ambient temperature. In particular, the prototypal device is an acrylic box case, filled with noble gas, whose top face is a metamaterial deposited on a metal substrate covered with a transparent polymeric film. The metamaterial here tested, obtained by means of a semi-empirical approach, is a spectrally selective coating based on low cost materials, deposited as thin films by sputtering on the metallic substrate, that emits selectively in the 8&ndash, m region, reflecting elsewhere UV_VIS_NIR_IR electromagnetic radiation. The prototype during the daytime sky could reach temperatures well beyond ambient temperature. However, the proof of concept experiment performed in a bright clear June day has evidenced some limitations. A critical analysis of the obtained experimental results has done, in order to individuate design revisions for the device and to identify future metamaterial improvements.

Global and local climate change increases the occurrence and the magnitude of extreme phenomena, as urban heat island and heat waves. These phenomena seriously affect the quality of life in several aspects: society, health, environment; they also heavily affect the building sector, increasing the energy use for cooling and deteriorating the indoor thermal environment. This paper utilizes data from a continuous urban microclimatic monitoring over three years to quantify the impact of heat waves on the thermal quality of two reference residential buildings in the city of Rome, Italy. The synergic effect of heat waves with the urban heat island is also analysed. The observation period includes summers of 2015, 2016 and 2017. The buildings’ response is analysed through numerical thermal analyses in transient regime, taking into account several variants: thermal insulation, mechanical cooling system and thermal free-floating conditions, with different night ventilation strategies. Results show that daily average temperature and urban heat island intensity increase by up to 4.3 °C and 1.5 °C respectively during the heat waves with respect to the rest of the summer. The building cooling energy use rises up 87% during heat wave periods, while average operative temperature in free-running buildings increments by up to 3.5 °C. Results also show the impressive combined impact of heat wave and heat island: triplication of cooling energy use in the worst case and increase of the average operative temperature above 5 °C.

Wall finishes with high solar reflectance and thermal emittance, commonly known as cool walls, can reduce the exterior surface temperatures of façades, and consequently the building cooling energy needs and power demand, and lower the sensitivity to degradation. Aging, though, may affect their performance. To investigate this risk, we exposed for four years in Milan, Italy, two series of façade finish coats, white and beige, facing north and south, in vertical and vertical-sheltered position, and we measured their solar spectral reflectance and thermal emittance before and after aging. The solar reflectance of the white finish coats drops from 0.75 to 0.55 in four years, and from 0.46 to 0.38 for the beige coats, while the thermal emittance is unchanged. Then, for a typical residential building with white walls, we computed that the cooling energy needs increase with walls aging by 5% and 11%, respectively, with or without exterior wall insulation. The exterior surface temperature is increased even by 6 °C, and the number of sudden surface temperature variations in one hour is boosted. Finally, the moisture content in the external layers is reduced, showing the impact on the heat and mass balance because of the uncertainty in solar absorption due to aging. © 2017 Elsevier B.V.

Modern architecture is characterized by the use of large glazed surfaces. New technologies ensure thermal insulation by multiple glazing units so that, maintaining good solar gains, highly glazed buildings can achieve good energy performance during the heating season. More complicated is the management of the energy performance during the cooling season due to high permeability to solar radiation. External shading devices are a suitable solution but they are often neglected for functional and aesthetic reasons. Solar protection devices can be, however, introduced in the air gap of multiple glazing units, providing solar protection without interfering with the building envelope. Solar and thermal properties of several solution of glazing units with in-gap shading devices were measured with advanced experimental set-up, to be compared with conventional systems. Numerical analyses were also performed to estimate the impact of this technology on the energy performance of office buildings. © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Aim: To investigate the progression-free survival (PFS) and the overall survival (OS) in a population affected by primary brain tumors (PBT) evaluated by [18F]-l-dihydroxyphenylalanine ([18F] FDOPA) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). Materials and methods: 133 subjects with PBT (65 women and 68 men, mean age 45 ± 10years old) underwent 18F FDOPA PET/CT after treatment. Of them, 68 (51.2%) were Grade II, 34 (25.5%) were Grade III and 31 (23.3%) were Grade IV. PET/CT was scored as positive or negative and standardized uptake value ratio (SUVr) was calculated as the ratio between SUVmax of the lesion vs. that of the background. Patients have been observed for a mean of 24months. Results: The outcome of [18F] FDOPA PET/CT scan was significantly related to the OS and PFS in Grade II gliomas. In Grade II PBT, the OS proportions at 24months were 100% in subjects with a negative PET/CT scan and 82% in those with a positive scan. Gehan–Breslow–Wilcoxon test showed a significant difference in the OS curves (P = 0.03) and the hazard-ratio was equal to 5.1 (95% CI of ratio 1.1–23.88). As for PFS, the proportion at 24months was 90% in subjects with a negative PET/CT scan and 58% in those with a positive scan. Gehan–Breslow–Wilcoxon test showed a significant difference in the OS curves (P = 0.007) and the hazard-ratio was equal to 4.1 (95% CI of ratio 1.3–8). We did not find any significant relationship between PET outcome and OS and PFS in Grade III and IV PBT. Conclusions: A positive [18F] FDOPA PET/CT scan is related to a poor OS and PFS in subjects with low-grade PBT. This imaging modality could be considered as a prognostic factor in these subjects.

The paper presents the findings on end-users' experiences and expectations about living in multi-family Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings (NZEBs). The survey in four European countries (Slovenia, Italy, Denmark and Germany) was part of EU Horizon 2020 project CoNZEBs (2017-2019) and addressed end-users living or thinking about living in multi-family NZEBs. Targeted end-users were living (as tenants or owners) in either ordinary buildings or in high performance buildings such as NZEBs (mandatory after 2020 according to Directive 2010/31/EU). In the survey, the following topics were addressed: the level of end-user's understanding of the NZEB concept, the source and quality of information on NZEB from the end-users' perspective, the importance of various apartment features for the end-users, perception of NZEB characterizing technologies, and decision triggers for living in NZEB. Concerns, doubts and eventual fears about living in NZEBs were studied to enable a tailored information for future end-users, to increase the demand for NZEB and beyond NZEB buildings and to improve their acceptability. To facilitate the living in NZEBs a guide for end-users was developed, explaining the "Myths" about NZEBs as well as presenting testimonials of current NZEB users in four participating countries. The paper presents the findings on end-users' experiences and expectations about living in multi-family Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings (NZEBs). The survey in four European countries (Slovenia, Italy, Denmark and Germany) was part of EU Horizon 2020 project CoNZEBs (2017-2019) and addressed end-users living or thinking about living in multi-family NZEBs. Targeted end-users were living (as tenants or owners) in either ordinary buildings or in high performance buildings such as NZEBs (mandatory after 2020 according to Directive 2010/31/EU). In the survey, the following topics were addressed: the level of end-user's understanding of the NZEB concept, the source and quality of information on NZEB from the end-users' perspective, the importance of various apartment features for the end-users, perception of NZEB characterizing technologies, and decision triggers for living in NZEB. Concerns, doubts and eventual fears about living in NZEBs were studied to enable a tailored information for future end-users, to increase the demand for NZEB and beyond NZEB buildings and to improve their acceptability. To facilitate the living in NZEBs a guide for end-users was developed, explaining the "Myths" about NZEBs as well as presenting testimonials of current NZEB users in four participating countries.

Climate changes and urban sprawl dramatically increase the urban temperatures and the thermal quality in the built environment. Among several proposed mitigation techniques, cool roofs have now reached a broad audience, while the cool materials potentialities for façade applications are still little investigated. A novel masonry paint, produced with the inclusion of cool pigments, is investigated in this paper. A palette of colour is developed with the objective of covering a wide range of architectural integration solutions. Reflectance and emissivity are measured and calculated. The results strongly depend on the base colour used to prepare the sample; solar reflectance increase up to 0.16 is achieved for dark colours. A numerical analysis is carried out to evaluate the impact of the cool paint on the thermal response of a typical Italian residential building. Energy uses are calculated for different insulation levels and climatic conditions. Cooling energy uses are reduced in the 10-20% range; total energy uses are affected by several parameters with 5% maximum savings. Peak operative temperature reductions range from 0.5 to 1.6 °C for the building in free floating conditions, according to climate and insulation level. External surface temperatures are reduced above 6 °C during the peak irradiation hours. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The market penetration of polycarbonate (PC) multi-sheets panels for building applications is increasing due to intrinsic properties of the material: high transparency, reduced weight if compared to glass and competitive costs. The presence of air gaps within the panel assures good thermal insulation; however, to further improve the thermal properties of the component, the air gaps can be filled by granular silica aerogel. These materials are also characterized by high scattering optical properties, so that the incident radiation can be diffused in the built environment, preventing from glare. This paper deals with the characterization of several configurations of PC systems, differing in thickness and geometry. Thermal transmittance measurements were carried out using a guarded hot plate apparatus, according to EN 674:2011. Spectral transmittance and reflectance measurements were carried out by means of a large integrating sphere apparatus, broad-band light and solar quantities were then calculated. A valid data set of product specification is thus provided. The investigated polycarbonate systems could be a valid solution in place of classic windows for non-residential buildings, enhance the thermal insulation and the light control of the building envelope, thus providing improved comfort conditions for occupants. © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The Tito Maccio Plauto school was built in Cesena during late sixties and, conformingly to the period construction technologies and standards, is characterized by poor energy performances. The retrofit of the school is implemented in the framework of the School of the Future Project, funded by 7th Framework Programme. The objective is demonstrating the technical economical feasibility of deep energy renovation for public buildings, bound to last several decades after, avoiding the land use for new construction and improving the energy performances of the existing building stock. The actual consumptions for the different energy services were monitored and the occupancy profile of the school zones was analyzed. Starting from the preliminary monitoring it was possible to design the most suitable energy to achieve the initial targets: reduction of factor 4 of space heating energy uses, reduction of factor 3 of the overall energy uses. The measures involved: external insulation of facades and roof, partial insulation of the ground floor, replacement of windows with external moveable shading devices, complete renovation of the heating system, design and installation of a remote energy management system for the municipality schools, installation of a PV plant on the roof, mechanical ventilation system for classrooms. The last measure was implemented to fulfill the improvement of the indoor environment quality, another crucial issues the EU Project had to couple with. Detailed analyses, carried out with dynamic and national reference calculation tools, demonstrated the efficacy of the implemented measures, since all the relevant target were reached, as will be monitored during the monitoring phase of the project.

Metal mesh grids and perforated screens are used in new and renovated buildings as an external second skin for the building envelope; to enhance architecture design, to filter daylight and to reduce solar gains. Their effectiveness as shading devices depends on their geometry, texture and application. In the first part of the paper six types of shadings with similar transparencies, depending on geometry and openness factor of metal mesh grid and perforated screen, were investigated. Integrating sphere measurements were collected to obtain spectral optical properties of the shading devices. The optical properties were measured for incidence angles between normal and 60°with a step of 15°. The data collected were integrated to obtain visible and solar transmittance values in accordance with ISO 9050. In the second part of the paper a parametric study on spacing and thread dimension of metal mesh grids was done using Window 6.2 models to evaluate their shading potential, defining annual different shading profiles depending on shading geometry, latitude and orientation. A conventional office unit with a curtain wall facade with a metal mesh grid shading system was modeled in TRNSYS to evaluate the solar gain profiles and their effects on the energy balance of the office unit, under different weather conditions.

The energy renovation of the existing building stock is a crucial strategy to achieve environmental targets at national and EU levels, as demonstrated by current energy uses and potential energy savings in the construction sector. The retrofit of school buildings in Italy is relevant because of the poor energy performance of the stock, as well as for its high social value. The Tito Maccio Plauto school in Cesena went through a deep energy retrofit process in the framework of the “School of the Future” EU Project. This paper documents all the phases of the process: the initial energy and indoor environment assessment; the design phase supported by detailed calculation analysis; the two years monitoring phase after the conclusion of the renovation works. The energy monitoring demonstrated a factor 4 reduction of space heating, final and primary energy, as well as the electricity neutrality achieved after the retrofit. Also the indoor environmental quality was addressed in this study by means of instrumental monitoring of indoor parameters and subjective analyses, carried out by a dedicated questionnaire. These additional actions demonstrated the positive impact of the implemented measures on thermal comfort and indoor air quality, as well as other co-benefits. © 2016 Elsevier B.V.

The progressively emerging concept of urban resilience to climate change highlights the importance of mitigation and adaptation measures, and the need to integrate urban climatology in the design process, in order to better understand the multiple effects of combined green and cool technologies for the transition to climate responsive and thermally comfortable urban open spaces. This study focuses the attention on selected mitigation and adaptation technologies, two renovation scenarios were designed and modeled according to the minimal intervention criterion. The study pays attention to the effect on surface temperature and physiological equivalent temperature (PET) of vegetation and high albedo materials characterizing the horizontal boundaries of the site. The Sapienza University campus, a historical site in Rome, is taken as a case study. These results highlight the importance of treed open spaces and the combination of permeable green pavements associated with cool roofs as the most effective strategy for the mitigation of summer heatwaves and the improvement of outdoor thermal comfort.

The acronym BIPV (Building Integrated Photovoltaics) refers to the installation of photovoltaic systems which, in addition to convert solar energy into electrical energy, have a high level of architectonical integration with the built environment, becoming a real architectural cladding to be installed over the buildings in place of traditional envelope systems. Many typologies of BIPV have been developed, however their thermal characteristics such as g and Ug-value are not well evaluated and require more detailed analyses considering that they could replace large extension of traditional building envelope. A first approach to address this problem is proposed in this work. A mathematical model based on a finite differences scheme for the estimation of the thermal parameters g and Ug-value has been developed and tuned using experimental value measured on sample BIPV with a Hot Plate and a Solar Calorimeter. The results of the model show that the introduction of solar cells in a laminated glass or in a double glass leads to a reduction of energy parameters modifying winter and summer energy balance of the building system. © 2015 The Authors.

The standard EN 15193: 2007. Energy performance of Buildings. Energy requirements for lighting includes a comprehensive method, which takes into account the daylighting contribution in the calculation procedure. Such contribution is obtained through several approximations. An alternative approach is developed, where the daylighting contribution is based on the availability of outdoor illuminance data and an explicit procedure. The methods are tested on a standard office building, whose lighting requirements are calculated for different visual tasks, observation positions and climatic zones. The results show discrepancies among the methods and address the need of a more accurate estimation of the lighting energy service. © 2015 The Authors.

International audience; A laboratory method to simulate natural exposure of roofing materials has been reported in a companion article. In the current article, we describe the results of an international, nine-participant interlaboratory study (ILS) conducted in accordance with ASTM Standard E691-09 to establish the precision and reproducibility of this protocol. The accelerated soiling and weathering method was applied four times by each laboratory to replicate coupons of 12 products representing a wide variety of roofing categories (single-ply membrane, factory-applied coating (on metal), bare metal, field-applied coating, asphalt shingle, modified-bitumen cap sheet, clay tile, and concrete tile). Participants reported initial and laboratory-aged values of solar reflectance and thermal emittance. Measured solar reflectances were consistent within and across eight of the nine participating laboratories. Measured thermal emittances reported by six participants exhibited comparable consistency. For solar reflectance, the accelerated aging method is both repeatable and reproducible within an acceptable range of standard deviations: the repeatability standard deviation sr ranged from 0.008 to 0.015 (relative standard deviation of 1.2–2.1%) and the reproducibility standard deviation sR ranged from 0.022 to 0.036 (relative standard deviation of 3.2–5.8%). The ILS confirmed that the accelerated aging method can be reproduced by multiple independent laboratories with acceptable precision. This study supports the adoption of the accelerated aging practice to speed the evaluation and performance rating of new cool roofing materials.

Construction and building materials are generally considered Lambertian, namely they reflect as perfectly diffusive the radiation incident onto their surface. Thus, reflectance and absorptance are assumed to be constant and independent on the incidence and view angles. This assumption is not valid for specular materials, like glass or polished surfaces, where an angular dependence of their optical–radiative properties is observed. However, many opaque construction materials often show a mixed behaviour, which includes specular and diffuse (or scattering) reflectance components. Moreover, the apparent roughness of the materials surface changes according to the angle of incidence of the solar radiation. This issue is relevant for some cool materials, which are polished or treated with other methods to offer a very smooth surface, to increase the solar reflectance. Herein, the angular dependent solar reflectance of the opaque materials and the impact on the solar gains and energy balance of the building envelope is investigated. The off-normal solar spectral reflectance of four typical construction material for roofing and facade systems is measured with a spectrophotometer, equipped with a large integrating sphere, and with a goniophotometer to characterise the directional reflectance. The comparison between reflectance values in the visible band obtained with both devices shows relative variations lower than 2% for materials with prevalent diffusing behaviour. Discrepancies up to 6% are observed for the samples with a perceivable specular component. Solar reflectance angular dependent curves are calculated, starting from measurements, to compare different models to compute the solar gains. A building energy simulation tools is then used to compute the differences between heat fluxes and energy needs obtained with reflectance angular dependent models and with constant solar reflectance. Discrepancies of the thermal fluxes up 0.7 kW h/m2 in summer and 0.5 kW h/m2 in winter are calculated, with relative variations exceeding 7%. Discrepancies of 1.7 kW h/m2 in winter and 1.2 kW h/m2 in summer are calculated for the heating and cooling energy uses of a reference building.

The Tito M. Plauto school in Cesena is the Italian case study in the FP7 School of the Future project. Objective was the energy renovation of school buildings with high energy and indoor environment targets, to be demonstrated by monitoring before and after the retrofit. Measures involved envelope components and energy systems, including renewable. The energy monitoring started in January 2014 and included thermal and electricity uses; as well the electricity produced by the PV plant. Data were compared to those registered for the 2008-2010 period. The environmental quality was addressed by thermal comfort and CO2 concentration instrumental monitoring. © 2015 The Authors.

Switchable windows are glazing technologies that exhibit dynamic optical properties and may thus be used to improve the energy performance of buildings. A window system based on a thermotropic glass pane was tested both in the laboratory and by means of an outdoor test cell facility. In this paper the full optical and thermal characterization of this glazing technology is presented. Experiments and data analysis led to the characterization of the behaviour of the thermotropic glazing both when this technology is used alone (single glass pane) and when it is integrated in a multilayer fenestration (a triple glazed unit). © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Windows are the most important part of the building façade to control solar gains, thermal losses and visual comfort. Office buildings usually have medium-high WWR (window to wall ratio value) and high internal gains (due to users, lighting and appliances). For this reason, they require a good balance between thermal and visible performances of transparent façades and shading control strategies to avoid overheating, optimizing daylighting aspects. A sensitivity analysis was assessed to evaluate primary energy use for heating, lighting and cooling for conventional Italian single office units equipped with static metal mesh shading devices with different geometries and openness factor values. Different location (Milan, Palermo), orientation (south and west) and WWR (33% and 100%) were analyzed. Hence shading devices alternatives as venetian blinds and sun control windows are proposed as a comparison. © 2015 The Authors.

This paper is divided in two sections. The first section present the measurement and evaluation of soiling effects of spectral light and solar transmittance decay of Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene Copolymer (ETFE) membranes after three and six months of exposure in Milano city outdoor urban conditions, with different tilt and orientation. The obtained values where use to compute thermal and solar properties of a multilayer ETFE panel. The second section presents the results of an experimental campaign for measuring thermal transmittance of a non-pneumatic and non-cushion shape double layer ETFE sample panel realized with two membranes parallel to each other and tensioned on a frame. The thermal transmittance measurement reflects ISO 9869 measurement approach combined with the use of a thermographic camera to evaluate surface temperatures over the sample panel.

The optical char acteristics of an advan ced glazin g sy stem are p resented in this p ap er. The investigated glazin g sy stem is based on the incorp oration of a p araffin-based Phase Change M aterial (PCM) into a transp arent comp onent, made of two extra-clear glass p anes and a cavity where the PCM lay er is p laced. Due to the highly scattering p rop erty of the sy stem (when the PCM is in solid state), the use of a lar ge integr ating sp here equip ment (75 cm diameter) is necessary to obtain reliable results. The sp ectral transmission, reflection and absorp tion coefficients of the PCM glazin g sy stem are measured b etween 400 and 2000 nanometers, and the integr ated valu es are calcu lated accordin g to the relevant standards. The optical p rop erties are determined with a maximu m relative error of 4% (on the sum of the transmission, reflection and absorption coefficients), when the PCM lay er is either in comp lete solid state or liqu id state. The average error for all the op tical p rop erties is 2%. Different thicknesses of the PCM lay er are used in order to assess the dep endency of the optical p rop erties on the PCM lay er thickness. The angular dep endency is also investigated for beam angle up to 45 deg.

Introduction Lhermitte-Duclos disease or dysplastic gangliocytoma of the cerebellum is an extremely rare tumor. It is a slowly enlarging mass within the cerebellar cortex. The majority of cases are diagnosed in the third or fourth decade of life. Case presentation We report the case of a 37-year-old Caucasian woman who underwent positron emission tomography-computed tomography with fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose for evaluation of a solitary lung node. No pathological uptake was detected in the solitary lung node but the positron emission tomography-computed tomography of her brain showed intense tracer uptake, suggestive of a malignant neoplasm, in a mass in her left cerebellar lobe. Our patient had experienced two years of occipital headache and movement disorder. Subsequently, magnetic resonance imaging was performed with contrast agent administration, showing a large subtentorial mass in her left cerebellar hemisphere, with compression and dislocation of the fourth ventricle. Metabolic data provided by positron emission tomography and morphological magnetic resonance imaging views were fused in post-processing, allowing a diagnosis of dysplastic gangliocytoma with increased glucose metabolism. Total resection of the tumor was performed and histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of Lhermitte-Duclos disease. Conclusions Our case indicates that increased uptake of fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose may be misinterpreted as a neoplastic process in the evaluation of patients with Lhermitte-Duclos disease, but supports the usefulness of integrated positron emission tomography-magnetic resonance imaging in the exact pathophysiologic explanation of this disease and in making the correct diagnosis. However, an accurate physical examination and exact knowledge of clinical data is of the utmost importance.

While the day in which nearly zero energy buildings is quickly approaching, their construction cost remains higher than minimum requirements' ones, in this framework operates CoNZEBs (Solution sets for the cost reduction of new Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings) Project, funded EU Horizon 2020. This paper explores a critical point identified by the project: potential cost reductions in the design and construction process. Starting from current costs and assessed the lack of available data, a survey is carried out focusing on two main stakeholders: i) design and planning process actors; ii) construction companies and contractors. About 100 answers are collected within the participant countries (Denmark, Germany, Italy, Slovenia), providing insights about issues and potential solutions for the process cost reductions. The results show differences among countries in terms of expectations for the potentials solutions, mainly related to the national market characteristics. The survey also shows the critical issue of the increase for construction costs respect to the originally planned ones Another session presents the impact of exemplary solutions aimed at optimising the design and construction process costs; they are grouped in three categories: specific building envelope and energy system technologies, specific design solutions, innovative project management systems. Quantitative examples are provided for each category.